The  book  may  be  borrowed  for 
a  period  of  two  weeks  and  re- 
newed only  for  an  additional 
period  of  two  weeks* 

LIBRARIAN. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/practiceinfinishOOgree_0 


Practice  in  Finishing 


The  Art  of  Finishihg.  *  :  r 


Woolens  ancf 


in  all  its  details 


A  Complete  Hand-book  for  the 
Finishing  Room 


By  FRED.  H.  GREENE 

Master  Finisher 


Published  by  THE  TEXTILE  RECORD 
425  Walnut  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
1886 


^HE  contents  of  this  hand-book  were  origi- 
nally written  for  and:  published  in  the 
columns  of  The  Textile  Record  of 
Philadelphia.  This  magazine  contains,  in  each 
issi;ie> :  more '  original  'matter  of  practical  value 
to  the  worker  in  textiles  than  any  other  simi- 
lar publication  in  the  world.  It  has  late  and 
fresh  information  for  the  operator  in  every 
department  of  the  woolen  and  cotton  mill,  the 
dye  and  bleach  house,  and  the  knitting  mill. 
The  price  is  only  $3.00  a  year. 


This  volume  is  the  second  of  a  series  of 
practical  hand-books  issued  by  the  publisher  of 
The  Textile  Record. 


COPYRIGHTED  1886. 
BY  CHARLES  HEBER  CLARK. 


THE  GETTY  CENTi- 


FRED  H.  GREENE. 

Fred.  H.  Greene,  the  author  of  this  treatise,  was 
born  in  Pascoag,  R.  I.,  April  9,  1858.  While  he  was  but 
a  child,  his  parents  moved  to  Putnam,  Conn.,  then  to 
Alderbrook,  Madison  County,  N.  Y.,  where  his  father, 
J.  C.  Greene,  was  superintendent  for  some  ten  years. 
Afterwards  he  was  one  of  the  firm  of  G.  B.  Mowrey,  Son 
&  Co.  Here,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  was  first  employed 
in  the  office  as  assistant  bookkeeper,  and  also  to  assist 


3 


about  the  mill.  After  attending  school  later  on  for  two 
years  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  he  was  employed  in  the  finish- 
ing-room to  run  a  shear,  which  he  continued  to  do  for 
about  a  year. 

After  a  brief  experience  at  farming,  the  family  moved 
to  Killingly,  Conn.,  where  he  was  with  his  father  three 
years  in  the  finishing-room,  then  one  year  in  the  weaving 
and  designing  rooms,  under  Mr.  Benjamin  Cogswell,  of 
the  Sabin  L.  Sayles  Company.  He  was  then  about  two 
years  wet  finisher  for  the  Putnam  Woolen  Company,  Put- 
nam, Conn.  He  was  next  in  the  employ  of  the  Worcester 
Woolen  Company,  Worcester,  Mass.,  remaining  there 
nearly  three  years,  until  the  failure  of  the  company  ;  while 
there  he  was  unfortunate  enough  to  mutilate  the  right 
hand  in  a  gear  on  a  double  cylinder  rotary  gig,  but,  with 
good  nursing,  managed  to  save  most  of  the  hand.  Jan. 
i,  1885,  he  accepted  a  position  with  the  Berkshire 
Woolen  Company  at  Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  where  at 
the  present  time  he  has  charge  of  the  finishing. 

Mr.  Greene  has  made  the  art  of  finishing  woolen  and 
worsted  goods  a  study.  He  has  not  only  considered  the 
methods  of  producing  certain  effects,  but  the  reasons  for 
those  methods — the  principles  which  lie  at  the  bottom  of 
the  various  processes.  This  includes,  of  course,  intimate 
familiarity  with  the  nature  and  construction  of  the  wool 
fibre  and  close  acquaintance  with  the  practical  details  of 
those  branches  of  chemistry  used  in  the  finishing  room 
He  has  not  been  satisfied  simply  to  know  how,  but  has 
always  sought  also  to  ascertain  why,  and  the  results  of 
his  researches  and  his  experiments  are  embodied  in  this 
hand  book,  now  offered  to  the  public. 

Editor  of  The  Textile  Record. 


4 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Portrait  of  author,  and  sketch  of  his  life    .  .  .  r  .  3 


CHAPTER  I. 

BURLING. 

The  right  kind  of  burlers. — The  burling  tables. — Re- 
moving knots. — Treatment  of  fancy  cassimeres. 
— Methods  of  payment.  —  Proper  methods  of 
inspecting. — Qualifications  of  a  good  sewer  .  .  7 


CHAPTER  II. 

FULLING. 

Difficulty  in  giving  exact  directions. — Objects  aimed 
at. — Examples. — Sewing  the  pieces. — Putting  in 
the  mill. — Soaps  and  oils. — Suggestions  as  to 
time. — Fulling  fancy  cassimeres  — Experiments 
with  soaps. — Rolling  or  roping  the  goods    .  .  14 


CHAPTER  III. 

COCKLES — FLOCKING. 

Causes  of  cockles. — How  to  prevent  them. — Strength 
of  alkalies. — Fair  alkalies  must  be  used. — Vari- 
ous methods  of  flocking. — Dry  flocking. — Rule 
for  flocking. — Heavy  flocking. — Soap  and  al- 
kali.— Points  about  alkali. — Scouring  before  full- 
ing 25 


CHAPTER  IV. 

GIGGING. 

Purposes  of  gigging. — New  and  old  gigs. — All-wool 
cassimeres.— Various  styles  of  finish  and  methods 
of  producing  them. — Fancy  colors. — Goods  with 
a  twist. — Tender  goods  38 


5 


CHAPTER  V. 

DRYING.  Page. 

Drying  machines  or  tenter-bars. — The  best  methods 
of  drying  worsteds  and  woolens. — Practical  hints. 
— Troubles  with  flocks    50 

CHAPTER  VI. 

SHEARING. 

Back-burling  — The  shears. — Don't  tinker  at  the 
shears. — Difficulties. — Arranging  the  shears. — 
Grinding,  etc. — Oiling  the  swab  frequently. — 
Refusing  to  cut. — Shearing  the    goods.  — 
Uneven  shearing    55 

CHAPTER  VII. 

CHINCHILLA  FINISHING. 

Peculiarities  of  the  chinchilla  finish. — Methods  of 
operation. — The  chinchilla  machine. — Setting 
the  machine. — Rubbers  and  followers   69 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

INSPECTING  AND  PRESSING. 

Inspecting  the  fabric. — Specking  or  fine  burling. — 
Sewing  or  fine  drawing. — Pressing  the  goods. — 
Differences  in  pressing.  —  Inspection.  —  The 
perch.  —  Shading  with  sample.  —  Finishing- 
room  book  and  how  to  keep  it   75 

CHAPTER  IX. 

WHY  GOODS  DO  NOT  FINISH  ALIKE. 

Variations  in  the  filling. — Oils  used  upon  the  stock. — 
Twist  in  the  yarns. — Wrong  shades  in  the  dye- 
house. — Differences  in  fulling. — Variations  in 
the  gigging  and  shearing   85 

CHAPTER  X. 

SOME  PRACTICAL  RECIPES  AND  FORMULAS. 

To  find  the  contents  of  a  tank. — To  figure  speed. — 
To  remove  bur-dye  crock. — To  test  woolen 
goods   95 


6 


THE  ART  OF  FINISHING 
WOOLENS  AND  WORSTEDS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
BURLING. 

The  right  kind  of  burlers. — The  burling  tables. 
— Removing  knots. — Treatment  of  fancy  cassi- 
meres. — Methods  of  payment. — Proper  methods 
of  inspecting. — Qualifications  of  a  good  sewer. 

Burlers. — As  a  usual  thing,  the  poorest  class 
of  employees  are  placed  at  burling,  inasmuch  as  it 
is  generally  supposed  that  any  one  can  burl  a 
piece  of  goods.  Many  also  have  an  idea  that 
whatever  is  left  undone  in  the  burling  and  sewing 
can  easily  be  remedied  after  the  fabric  is  finished. 
This  is  surely  a  mistake.  Too  much  care  can- 
not be  taken  at  this  point  of  the  work  in  fixing 
every  place  that  needs  attention  before  the  goods 
go  to  the  fulling  mills. 

The  burling  tables. — In  beginning  the  work, 
have  the  tables  or  burling  boards  covered  with 
zinc,  so  that  a  perfectly  smooth  surface  can  be 
obtained  to  draw  the  cloth  over,  and  that  every 

7 


small  bunch  or  knot  may  easily  be  discovered 
by  the  burler.  On  broad  or  -J  pieces,  it  is  better 
to  have  two  burlers  at  a  table,  although  more 
work  can  be  obtained,  in  proportion,  with  one, 
providing  the  person  is  capable  of  handling  it 
alone.  Every  knot,  slug,  bunch,  or  runner  (filling 
drawn  in  on  the  side)  should  be  removed,  care 
being  taken  not  to  injure  the  regular  threads,  as 
this  only  makes  extra  work  for  the  sewers,  who 
will  usually  find  plenty  of  business  to  sew  in 
properly  from  the  looms  (unavoidable  imperfec- 
tions). 

Removing  knots.— There  are  several  methods 
of  removing  the  knots  from  the  goods,  and  much 
depends  upon  the  class,  weave,  length  of  time 
they  full,  or  if  they  are  put  up,  or  shrunk  length- 
wise or  not,  in  order  to  prevent  imperfections 
that  will  show  after  they  are  finished.  At  the 
same  time,  it  all  comes  under  a  general  rule, 
and  only  care  and  attention  can  best  determine 
which  way  is  best  to  produce  satisfactory  results. 
The  matter,  however,  surely  should  not  be  left  to 
the  judgment  of  the  operative. 

A  corkscrew  weave. — On  a  corkscrew  weave, 
be  it  either  woolen  or  worsted,  or  worsteds  of 
any  weave,  commence  by  first  burling  the  back, 
raising  all  of  the  knots  and  being  careful  not  to 
draw  the  thread  out  so  far  as  to  make  it  tighter 
than  the  others.    Remove  all  that  is  possible  on 

8 


the  face  or  midway  between  back  and  face,  in  this 
manner,  clipping  them  off  with  a  pair  of  scissors 
half  way  in  the  knot,  so  that  it  will  stand  a  slight 
strain  before  giving  way.  This  will  prevent  (to 
some  extent)  the  ends  pulling  apart  when  the 
goods  pass  through  the  machines  and  receive 
more  or  less  stretching,  which  they  all  do.  After 
all  have  been  removed  that  can  be  taken  out  in 
this  way,  those  that  remain  must  be  similarly 
dealt  with  when  the  goods  are  looked  over  on 
the  face — using  the  same  precaution  as  before. 

Fancy  Cassimeres.— On  fancy  cassimeres  that 
full  a  considerable  length  of  time,  the  knot  may 
be  removed  on  either  side  by  pulling  up  the  ends 
and  breaking  off  with  the  burling-irons.  But  just 
as  much  care  and  attention  should  be  given  in 
this  case  as  in  others,  especially  on  hair  lines, 
which  are  sure  to  show  every  little  imperfection 
of  the  threads.  The  knots  on  these  should  be 
pulled  up  and  left  on  for  the  shears  to  cut  off. 
If  not,  they  are  liable  to  pull  apart,  and  every 
one  will  have  to  be  sewed  by  the  fine  drawers 
after  they  are  finished. 

Practical  suggestions.— If  a  piece  of  goods  is 
put  up  or  shrunk  lengthways,  say  from  two  to 
three  inches  to  the  yard,  it  will  help  greatly  to 
make  them  perfect.  But  on  any  class  of  goods 
the  burlers  should  not  be  allowed  to  pull  off  the 
knots  with  a  dull  pair  of  burling-irons  ;  and  on 


9 


most  classes  of  fabrics,  it  is  better  to  use  the 
scissors  in  connection  with  the  irons. 

In  small  mills,  it  is  practicable  to  teach  the 
burlers  to  remove  the  filling  drawn  in  on  the 
sides,  and  also  the  bunches  or  soft  filling,  or  pieces 
of  waste,  that  may  have  been  left  in.  But,  in 
large  mills,  where  from  ten  to  thirty  have  to  be 
employed,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  do  this  and 
have  it  done  properly.  It  is  no  small  affair  to 
pull  out  filling  that  is  drawn  in  for  five  or  six 
inches,  and  none  but  those  that  have  had  expe- 
rience can  do  it  without  making  the  place  imper- 
fect. The  soft  bunches  should  be  picked  out,  a 
small  piece  at  a  time,  so  as  not  to  injure  the 
regular  threads. 

Methods  of  payment— In  regard  to  a  system 
of  payment  for  this  work,  the  results  in  quantity 
and,  possibly,  quality,  are  much  better  when  a 
stated  price  per  piece  is  paid.  At  the  same  time, 
something  depends  upon  the  class  of  goods,  and 
the  length  they  are  made.  A  fair  and  practical 
system  should  be  followed,  so  that  the  employees 
may  have  an  interest  in  their  work. 

I  have  always  used  the  following  success- 
fully, although  very  likely  there  are  other  methods 
that  may  be  employed  with  fully  as  much  suc- 
cess. On  fancy  cassimeres,  when  the  pieces  were 
brought  in  from  the  weave-room,  I  had  them 
nicely  piled  up,  so  that  when  the  burlers  took 

10 


one  to  burl  they  took  it  from  the  top  of  the 
pile,  taking  their  chances  of  a  hard  or  easy  burl- 
ing piece.  I  paid  forty  cents  for  each  piece,  or 
twenty  cents  to  each  burler  for  good  work.  If 
they  did  not  do  it  well  the  first  time,  it  was  re- 
turned to  them  to  reburl.  If  then  not  properly 
done,  I  paid  them  nothing  for  the  piece.  Al- 
though this  rarely  happened,  there  would  be  an 
average  of  four  pieces  per  day  on  the  usual  work 
which  I  had.  I  have  had  very  poor  and  hard 
burling  pieces,  for  which  I  have  paid  as  high  as 
eighty  cents  per  piece.  They  would  not  average 
over  two  pieces  per  day.  Each  burler  had  a 
number,  which  was  placed  in  chalk  upon  the 
piece ;  also  each  burler  had  a  page  upon  a  book, 
in  which  was  placed  the  number  and  style  of  each 
piece  burled.  These  were  taken  each  night  and 
put  on  the  time  book  to  the  credit  of  the 
burlers. 

Inspecting. — The  next  operation  in  a  large  mill 
is  to  have  a  perch  conveniently  high,  and  one  or 
two  (preferably  two)  inspectors  to  look  the  goods 
over.  They  should  look  at  them  carefully  both 
back  and  face,  and  remove  all  that  the  burlers 
have  left.  These  should  be  taught  to  pull  out 
the  runners  and  difficult  places  in  the  goods. 
At  the  same  time,  if  too  much  of  this  appears,  it 
is  best  to  send  the  pieces  back  to  the  weave-room, 
and  let  those  that  have  charge  of  the  work  there 

ii 


try  their  skill.  This  may  put  a  stop  to  some  of 
the  imperfections. 

As  the  goods  are  being  inspected,  all  threads 
out,  misspicks  and  bad  places  should  be  marked 
with  chalk  for  the  sewers,  that  they  may  readily 
see  them  and  spend  their  time  sewing,  instead  of 
hunting  after  imperfections.  After  this  is  care- 
fully done  make  a  memorandum  of  each  piece, 
and  pass  to  the  sewers. 

Sewing.— In  order  to  get  the  best  results 
possible  in  mending  or  sewing  a  piece  of  goods, 
the  sewer  should  thoroughly  understand  weaving, 
so  that  on  difficult  patterns,  if  they  have  the 
weaving  and  drawing-in  draft,  they  can  readily 
comprehend  how  each  thread  should  be  sewed. 
Not  that  it  is  strictly  necessary  for  a  sewer  to  be 
a  weaver,  for  I  have  seen  and  known  of  many 
that  did  not  know  how  to  change  a  shuttle  on  a 
loom. 

On  fancy  cassimeres,  it  is  essential  that  the 
sewer  should  understand  the  colors  and  have  a 
good  eye  for  imitation,  that  she  may  take  the 
adjoining  pattern  for  reference  as  to  the  weave, 
the  colors,  etc.,  thereby  making  a  nearly  perfect 
work  on  a  difficult  damaged  place.  This  can 
only  be  accomplished  by  experience  and  close 
attention  to  this  part  of  the  work.  On  double 
weaves,  or  goods  that  have  a  backing  thread,  an 
out  on  the  back,  either  filling   or  warp,  will 

12 


usually  show  when  finished,  and  it  will  be  nearly- 
impossible  to  make  these  right  in  any  other  place. 
Hair  lines  should  be  sewed  carefully,  leaving  the 
ends  out,  say,  a  quarter  or  half  an  inch,  so  that 
they  will  not  draw  apart,  and  have  a  space  at 
each  end  of  the  thread  sewed  in  blank  or  imperfect. 

On  worsted  goods  this  is  the  most  important 
part  of  the  whole  work,  and  everything  that  can 
possibly  be  fixed  or  mended,  should  be  done  here. 
After  they  are  sewed,  scour  them,  and,  if  piece- 
dyed,  again  look  them  over,  to  be  sure  they  are 
properly  done.  Again  make  a  memorandum  of 
the  pieces.  Then,  after  numbering  by  sewing 
with  cotton  or  woolen  yarn,  the  number,  style, 
yards,  and  weight,  they  are  ready  to  be  tacked 
for  the  fulling  mills. 


n 


CHAPTER  II. 


FULLING. 

Difficulty  in  giving  exact  directions — Objects 
aimed  at — Examples — Sewing  the  p  i  eces — Putting 
in  the  mill — Soaps  and  oils — Suggestions  as  to 
time — Fulling  fancy  cassimeres — Experiments 
with  soaps — Rolling  or  roping  of  the  goods. 

Difficulties.— It  is  likely  that  there  is  not  a 
department  in  the  whole  mill  that  is  so  difficult 
to  write  about  as  the  finishing-room.  Whereas 
every  process  of  manufacture  requires  men  of 
good  judgment  to  conduct  it,  much  more  depends 
upon  wise  discretion  in  this  coom  than  in  the 
others ;  and  especially  is  this  true  of  fulling, 
scouring  and  gigging.  Of  all  these,  fulling  is  the 
most  difficult  subject  to  write  upon.  You  may 
take  to-day  a  rule  to  govern  the  fulling  of  a 
certain  style  of  goods,  and  a  month  later  the 
same  style  may  work  differently.  I  know  of  a 
mill,  or,  rather,  two  mills,  owned  by  the  same 
company,  where  the  sorting  of  the  wool  and  the 
dyeing  and  finishing  are  done  at  one  place.  The 
goods  had  to  be  fulled  separately,  and  they  did 
not  work  alike — I  mean  the  same  styles,  made 
exactly  in  the  same  way,  excepting  that  there 
were  different  carding,  spinning,  and  weaving. 

H 


In  order  to  give  any  definite  rule  for  fulling  a 
piece  of  goods,  it  would  be  necessary  to  commence 
in  the  wool-room  and  find  out  the  kind  of  stock 
used ;  then  the  coloring  and  oiling  of  the  stock  j 
then  to  get  a  correct  account  of  the  cotton  or 
shoddy  that  was  mixed,  also  the  weave;  and  by 
that  time  a  man  ought  to  be  a  first-class  superin- 
tendent, instead  of  a  finisher.  I  have  spoken  of 
these  points,  and  of  points  before  the  cloth  reaches 
the  finishing-room,  to  show  how  difficult  it  is  to 
give  any  general  rule,  and  also  to  show  what  a 
finisher  has  to  contend  with  outside  of  his  room. 

I  once  heard  a  superintendent  of  a  large  mill 
remark  that  he  did  not  believe  it  made  any  differ- 
ence with  the  finishing  what  kind  of  oils  were 
used  on  the  stock.  That  man  has  since  learned 
a  little,  and  has  changed  his  mind.  Finishers 
have  had  to  work  pretty  close  for  the  last  two  or 
three  years,  as  buyers  have  been  so  critical  and 
fastidious,  especially  in  regard  to  shades ;  and  it 
has  been  almost  impossible  for  many  to  obtain 
what  was  required.  One  great  trouble  with 
finishers  is  that  they  get  the  selling  samples  out 
nicely  and  then  fail  to  bring  the  goods  out  as 
well.  There  are  several  points  that  should  be 
remembered  in  regard  to  this.  Usually,  when 
new  samples  are  being  made,  the  stock  is  all 
fresh.  What  I  mean  is,  that  it  has  not  been  ly- 
ing around  the  mill  any  length  of  time,  and  it 

i5 


works  better,  we  think.  We  will  improve  our 
colors  a  little,  and  so  we  reduce  our  soaps. 
Next  we  gig  a  little  slower,  and  put  on  a  few 
extras,  perhaps,  and  a  few  extra  runs  on  the  shears. 
When  our  goods  come  around,  we  have  not  got 
the  time  for  extras.  We  need  a  little  stronger 
soap,  because  the  stock  has  been  lying  around, 
and  the  grease  does  not  start  so  well.  This  is 
where  many  make  a  serious  mistake. 

Objects  aimed  at— Now,  I  propose  to  show, or 
to  try  to  show,  as  plainly  as  possible,  some  of 
the  methods  and  some  of  the  means  of  overcom- 
ing difficulties  in  fulling.  I  wish  to  dwell  upon 
the  difference  in  oils,  soaps  and  alkalies,  and  upon 
flocking,  shrinking,  excessive  time  and  heat,  in 
fulling  fancy  cassimeres,  medium  and  fine  goods, 
cotton  warps,  or  union  cassimeres,  flannels,  etc., 
and  to  show  how  different  weaves  afe  liable  to 
affect  the  fulling.  Could  I  illustrate  with  sample 
to  show  what  we  have  gained  in  the  fulling  mills, 
a  much  better  idea  could  be  given. 

The  purpose  of  fulling— An  example —The  pur- 
pose of  fulling  a  piece  of  goods  is  to  shrink  and 
felt  together  the  fibers  and  threads  that  compose 
it.  We  will  take  for  our  first  illustration  a  piece 
of  all-wool  cassimere,  XX  Ohio  wool,  spun  about 
4  to  4^  run,  with  about  3400  ends  in  the  warp, 
50  picks,  72  inches,  on  the  loom,  with  a  cassimere 
weave.    The  goods  weigh  from  18  to  19  ounces 

16 


off  the  loom.  The  finish-weight  wanted  is  16  to 
1 6^  ounces.  We  do  not  care  to  flock  them 
much,  if  any.  We  will  say  they  shrink  or  lose 
20  per  cent,  in  finishing.  This  leaves  us  80  per 
cent;  and  80  per  cent,  of  18  ounces  would  be 
14.4  ounces.  Calling  the  piece  36  yards  long, 
we  should  have  as  many  ounces  in  the  piece  as 
36  times  14.4,  which  are  5  18.4  ounces  ;  and  as  16 
ounces  represent  1  yard  or  36  inches  of  cloth,  there 
would  be  as  many  inches  to  the  yard  left,  after 
the  20  per  cent,  loss,  as  16  is  contained  in  518.4 
ounces,  which  are  32.4  inches.  And  the  differ- 
ence between  36  and  32.4  inches  leaves  us  3.6 
inches,  which  we  must  shrink  each  yard,  in  order 
to  make  up  the  loss  by  the  finishing  process. 

Sewing  together.— We  first  prepare  the  piece 
by  sewing  the  selvages  together  with  the  face 
on  the  inside,  keeping  them  thus  by  tacking 
or  sewing  together  with  cotton  twine,  or  old 
double-and-twist  yarn  that  may  be  useless  else- 
where. Even  when  the  goods  are  not  flocked, 
it  is  much  better  to  tack  them,  as  they  will  full 
more  even.  The  sides  then  are  the  same  thick- 
ness as  the  middle,  thereby  receiving  the  same 
pressure.  The  soaps  cannot  strike  on  the  face 
more  quickly  in  one  place  than  in  another. 
The  face  will  not  chafe  or  rub  against  the  rolls 
or  sides  of  the  mills,  and  if  the  fabric  be  soaped 
properly,  there  should  be  no  trouble  in  regard 

17 


to  stains  or  spots  where  color  is  gone,  or  un- 
even felting,  so  far  as  this  part  is  concerned. 

Putting  in  the  mill.— We  now  run  the  pieces 
into  the  mill  and  see  that  the  ends  are  sewed 
nicely  together,  having  a  f-  piece  on  each  side 
of  the  mill.  Commence  putting  on  the  soap 
slowly  and  carefully  until  the  pieces  are  thor- 
oughly and  evenly  wet  down.  After  they  have 
run  about  ten  minutes,  examine  them  and  see 
if  they  are  properly  soaped.  They  should  be 
moist  enough  so  that,  by  wringing,  a  little  soap 
and  grease  will  start  out,  or  by  taking  the  piece 
and  placing  it  over  the  fingers,  the  thumbnail, 
making  an  upward  motion,  will  be  covered  with 
grease  and  soap. 

We  then  let  down  the  traps,  or,  rather,  the 
clapper  (so-called),  putting  several  weights  upon 
the  rods,  and  let  the  goods  full  an  hour  or  more. 
Then  pull  out  the  pieces  and  see  what  progress 
has  been  made,  having  before  marked  off  a  yard 
on  the  end  of  the  piece  with  a  piece  of  cotton 
twine.  If  they  are  coming  up  in  width  faster 
than  lengthwise,  add  more  weights ;  and  if  they 
are  shrinking  too  fast,  take  off  some  of  the 
weights.  Try  to  have  them  come  up  together 
as  nearly  as  possible,  as  they  are  liable  to  stay 
where  you  shrink  them.  They  do  not  stretch 
out  so  much  going  over  the  other  machinery. 
After  the  fuller  has  done  a  few  pieces,  he  should 

18 


be  able  easily  to  control  that  part  of  the  opera- 
tion. 

Soaps  and  oils— About  the  soaps  used  for 
the  goods  we  will  speak  later  on.  Much  de- 
pends upon  the  kind  of  oils  used  in  preparing 
the  stock,  and  also  the  kind  of  soaps  used  make 
more  or  less  difference.  Usually  where  red-lard 
oil  is  used,  six  ounces  of  any  first-class  fulling 
soap,  and  two  ounces  of  good  soda  ash,  .at  the 
most,  to  the  gallon,  should  be  sufficient  to  start 
the  grease  and  full  even,  and  at  the  same  time  not 
destroy  any  of  the  colors,  providing  proper  atten- 
tion is  paid  to  heat  and  excessive  time. 

Suggestions  as  to  time.— The  piece  of  goods 
made  up,  as  I  have  before  mentioned,  should 
not  full  over  three  or  three  artd  a  half 
hours.  This  time  could  be  reduced  if  the  mills 
were  shut  up  close  and  the  pieces  allowed  to 
heat ;  but  this  will  not  do.  As  many  colors  are 
spoiled  by  being  heated,  as  by  excessive  alkalies. 
Many  colors,  in  fact,  stand  the  alkali  best.  It 
is  always  hardest  to  full  the  first  sets,  as 
the  mills  get  cooled  off  through  the  night,  and 
it  is  quite  necessary  first  to  get  the  pieces  warm 
before  the  processes  of  fulling  and  felting  com- 
mence. Of  course,  it  is  impossible  to  have  the 
pieces  cooler  than  the  temperature  of  the  room  ; 
but  care  should  be  taken  not  to  get  them  too 
warm.    I  have  seen  pieces  of  a  like  style, 

19 


started  at  the  same  time,  in  the  same  kind  of 
mills,  where  perhaps  one  mill  would  full,  or  even 
one  piece  in  the  same  mill  would  full,  from 
half  to  an  hour  longer  than  others.  An  inex- 
perienced person  would  find  it  impossible  to 
tell  why  this  was  ;  but  on  investigation  we  would 
find  that  on  one  side  of  the  mill,  or  at  the  back  of 
the  mill,  there  was  a  draught  from  a  window 
which  was  keeping  the  pieces  cooler,  preventing 
a  quick  operation  of  the  fulling. 

Now,  these  differences  in  heat,  time,  alkalies, 
shrinking  both  in  width  and  length,  must  make 
a  difference  in  the  shading  of  the  goods  when 
finished ;  and  it  is  only  by  long  practice  and  a 
good  system  that  these  difficulties  can  be  over- 
come. 

I  want  my  goods  fulled  even  enough  so 
that  when  I  put  four  pieces  on  a  rotary  gig  I 
shall  have  them  all  gigged  alike.  I  do  not  want 
to  gig  awhile,  take  off  two  of  them  and  give  the 
other  two  more  work.  When  I  do  this  I  am  not 
working  them  all  alike.  I  have  hardly  ever  been 
obliged  to  do  it,  providing  I  had  four  of  a  like 
style. 

Fulling  fancy  cassimeres.— Long  fulling  is  being 
discontinued  by  many  on  fancy  cassimeres.  The 
place  to  make  a  piece  of  goods  is  on  the  loom. 
They  have  to  make  worsteds  there.  They  do 
not  depend  on  the  fulling  mills  for  a  good,  solid 

20 


piece  of  cloth.  My  experience  has  been  varied 
in  regard  to  this  matter  of  fulling,  and  I  have 
found  that  I  have  always  been  most  success- 
ful when  the  goods  were  made  on  the  loom 
instead  of  in  the  fulling  mill ;  and  in  order  to  do 
this,  the  following  system  will  be  found  bene- 
ficial : 

Trial  with  samples.— Most  mills  make  pattern- 
loom  samples  from  two  to  five  yards  long  and 
yard  wide.  I  sew  this  upon  a  full  piece  and 
run  it  in  the  fulling  mill  as  long  as  I  think  neces- 
sary— say  from  two  to  three  hours.  I  then  gig 
and  finish  it,  comparing  it  with  whatever  effect  in 
finish  we  may  want.  If  it  be  all  right,  I  make  a 
note  of  every  detail ;  and  do  the  same  with  ail 
of  the  pattern-loom  samples.  Then,  when  the 
rack  or  selling  samples  come  along,  they  are 
usually  about  6  yards  each  \  width,  marked  in 
orders.  I  keep  each  order  until  I  get  enough  to 
make  a  full-length  piece — say  36  yards.  If  I  can 
get  two,  all  the  better,  as  that  makes  a  mill  full. 
I  full  them  precisely  the  same  as  I  did  the  pattern- 
loom  samples,  which  came  out  all  right.  If  I 
marked  in  my  notes  for  any  change,  I  make  it 
now.  If  the  selling  samples  come  out  too  wide, 
then  alter  them  at  the  loom.  I  full  strictly  on 
time,  but  always  look  out  that  my  soaps  and 
temperature  are  the  same ;  that  each  mill  is  set 
up  with  the  same  friction,  pressure,  etc.;  also  that 

21 


the  pieces  are  treated  the  same  in  soaping,  shrink- 
ing,  and  that  they  are  not  pulled  out  on  the  floor 
and  allowed  to  cool  off  while  the  fuller  may  be 
measuring  others,  or  mending  a  belt,  or  attending 
to  anything  else.  I  will  guarantee  that  if  this 
method  be  followed,  you  will  be  able  to  gig  four 
pieces  of  a  like  style  together,  and  that  there  will 
be  no  trouble  with  different  shades  in  this  direc- 
tion. It  makes  no  difference  whether  you  full  a 
piece  one  hour,  or  two,  or  three,  providing  all 
are  treated  alike. 

Possible  difficulties.— Of  course,  there  are 
many  troubles  that  will  arise.  We  will  suppose 
that  all  is  going  well,  and  that  the  superintendent 
does  not  deem  it  necessary  to  inform  us  that  he 
has  made  a  change  in  his  oils,  or  that  he  has 
worked  into  the  stock  some  dirty  waste,  he  sup- 
posing that  if  there  is  any  trouble,  the  finisher  is 
wide  awake  enough  to  discover  the  difficulty  and 
smart  enough  to  overcome  it.  Very  likely  he 
will ;  but  not  before  he  gets  several  greasy  pieces, 
or  some  with  an  off  shade,  at  the  least. 

Experiments  with  soaps —Then  again,  a  new 
soap  must  be  tried.  Perhaps  it  can  be  bought 
a  little  cheaper,  or  some  other  inducements  are 
offered.  Again  we  are  liable  to  be  off  the  track. 
Now,  this  is  all  wrong.  I  do  not  care  whose 
soap  you  use.  We  all  have  a  choice  about  such 
things.    When  you  find  a  good  soap,  stick  to  it. 

22 


Buy  of  makers  that  can  give  you  the  same  goods 
that  were  bought  a  year  previous,  and  those  that 
will  give  16  ounces  for  a  pound.  You  cannot 
afford  always  to  be  experimenting.  If  you  are 
honest  and  upright  in  your  business,  and  work 
with  the  superintendent  instead  of  against  him, 
let  him  know  just  how  such  things  go.  Do  not 
think  you  know  it  all,  and  be  afraid  that  some 
one  else  will  learn  something.  When  trouble 
comes,  pull  together,  and  you  will  come  out  all 
right. 

Rolling  or  roping  of  the  goods.— Another  trouble 
in  fulling  is  that  of  the  pieces  rolling  or  roping 
up  in  the  mills.  I  have  found  this  difficulty 
more  in  the  old  styles  of  mills  than  in  the  im- 
proved ones.  I  had  at  one  time  a  class  of  hair- 
lines that  it  was  impossible  to  keep  from  doing 
this.  They  had  to  be  flocked,  and  shrunk  about 
4  inches  to  the  yard.  If  I  flocked  them  dry, 
they  fulled  so  long  that  they  were  tender.  If  I 
flocked  after  they  were  wet  down,  they  would  be 
so  badly  twisted  up  that  the  flocks  only  took  on 
where  the  piece  was  exposed,  and  the  sides  which 
were  rolled  up  inside  would  be  thin  and  light 
Not  much  felt  and  not  any  flocks  could  get  to 
them,  they  were  rolled  so  tight,  leaving  the 
middle  all  exposed  to  catch  all  the  flocks  and 
felt.  I  tried  everything  I  could  think  of  to  pre- 
vent this.    I  had  them  taken  out  and  all  un- 


23 


twisted  and  straightened ;  but  in  less  than  five 
minutes  they  would  be  as  bad  as  ever. 

Then  I  began  in  another  direction  to  find  the 
cause  of  the  trouble.  Having  had  some  two 
years'  experience  in  the  weave  and  designing- 
room,  I  dissected  a  piece  of  the  goods,  and  found 
that  it  was  woven  one  pick  on  the  face  and  one 
on  the  back.  The  backing  filling  was  spun 
coarser  than  the  face,  so  in  reality  the  picks  were 
in  firmer  on  the  back  than  the  face ;  and  the  face 
of  the  piece  fulled  or  shrunk  faster  than  the  back, 
which  made  them  roll  up.  This  was  actually  so, 
and  the  designer  could  not  dodge  it.  Neither 
could  I  in  the  fulling  mills. 

When  this  trouble  is  caused  by  the  mills,  you 
will  usually  find  that  the  rolls  are  very  much  out 
of  true,  and  should  be  taken  out,  put  into  a  lathe 
and  turned  down.  If  the  top  and  bottom  rolls 
are  geared  together,  be  sure  that  they  are  both 
turned  the  same  size,  or  you  will  get  damaged 
goods. 


24 


CHAPTER  III. 

COCKLES:  FLOCKING. 

Causes  of  cockles— How  to  prevent  them — 
Strength  of  alkalies — Fair  alkalies  must  be 
used — Various  methods  op  flocking — Dry 
flocking — Rule  for  flocking — Heavy  flock- 
ing— Soap  and  alkali — Points  about  alkali — 
Scouring  before  fulling. 

Causes  of  Cockles.— Cockles — another  enemy 
with  which  we  have  to  deal  in  finishing — may- 
be made  elsewhere  than  in  the  fulling  mill, 
but  they  may  also  be  made  in  the  fulling  mill. 
Uneven  soaping  will  do  it.  Having  the  pieces 
run  too  dry,  or  too  weak  a  soap,  will  also  make 
them ;  for  where  the  soap  goes  on  directly,  the 
grease  will  start ;  but  the  parts  that  have  to  de- 
pend upon  soap,  by  absorbing  from  the  more  moist 
places,  will  not  get  enough  to  start  the  grease; 
therefore  the  piece  fulls  uneven.  I  have  at  times 
been  obliged  to  use  as  much  as  4  ounces  of 
soda  ash  to  the  gallon  before  I  could  full  them 
even. 

Then,  again,  the  soap  is  used  just  on  the 
line,  we  will  say.  A  lot  of  filling  gets  mixed 
up;  some  may  have  been  lying  around  for  a 
year ;  with  the  same  oil,  or  perhaps  a  different 

25 


one,  it  will  make  cockles,  as  the  new  stock  will 
start  first,  and  perhaps  the  soap  is  not  strong 
enough  to  start  the  other  at  all. 

I  will  give  a  few  experiments  in  the  use  of 
different  oils.  I  cannot  give  the  makers'  names, 
but  would  say  that  the  soap  was  used  in  the  pro- 
portion of  7  ounces  of  soap  and  2f  ounces  of 
soda  ash  to  the  gallon  of  water. 

Experiments.— Piece  A  had  one  brand  of  red- 
lard  oil.  It  fulled  2|  hours.  The  grease  did 
not  start,  and  it  fulled  uneven. 

Piece  B  had  a  different  brand  of  red-lard  oil. 
It  fulled  2|  hours.  The  grease  started  thick  and 
muddy,  but  the  goods  fulled  uneven. 

Piece  C  had  a  mineral  oil.  It  fulled  2f 
hours.  The  grease  started  well,  and  everything 
worked  well.  It  fulled  even,  and  it  handled 
good  throughout  the  works. 

Piece  D  had  a  saponified  mineral  oil.  It 
fulled  2f  hours.  The  grease  started  fairly,  though 
not  as  good  as  C,  but  it  fulled  even. 

Again,  these  same  oils  were  tried  in  a  neu- 
tral soap,  6  ounces  to  the  gallon  of  water. 

A  gummed  up,  fulled  5^  hours,  and  had 
holes  burst  through  it  similar  to  knife-cuts. 

B  gummed  up  badly.  It  fulled  5^  hours, 
fulled  hard,  and  had  the  same  kind  of  holes. 

C  worked  well,  kept  moist  all  the  time, 
fulled  3^  hours,  and  fulled  easily  and  free  from 
holes. 

26 


D  worked  fairly,  but  dried  up  at  the  last. 
It  fulled  3  y  hours.  Did  not  work  as  well  as  C, 
but  was  free  from  holes. 

In  regard  to  using  red-lard  oil,  I  do  not 
wish  to  have  it  understood  that  there  is  no  oil  of 
this  kind  that  can  be  used  successfully.  Many 
poor  red-lard  oils  have  been  put  upon  the  market, 
and  they  have  caused  manufacturers  much  trou- 
ble, but  there  are  good  brands  that  work  all  right. 
I  have  met  with  success  with  red-lard  oil  and 
again  I  have  failed  to  accomplish  good  results. 

Strength  of  alkalies.— Next  I  will  give  illustra- 
tions of  the  different  strengths  of  alkali,  and  the 
time  in  the  mills,  to  show  what  effect  there  is 
on  the  colors  of  silks  and  wool : 

A.  Two  pieces,  20  yards  in  each  ;  6  ounces 
of  soap  ;  2  ounces  soda  ash  to  the  gallon.  Fulled 
4  hours  ;  56  inches  wide;  shrank  4  inches  to 
yard  ;  72  inches  on  the  loom. 

B.  Two  pieces,  35  yards  in  each  ;  6  ounces 
of  soap  ;  2  ounces  of  soda  ash  to  the  gallon. 
Fulled  3  hours ;  58  inches  wide  ;  3  inches  shrink- 
age ;  72  inches  on  loom. 

C.  Two  pieces,  35  yards  in  each  ;  7  ounces 
of  soap  ;  1  y  ounces  of  soda  ash  to  the  gallon. 
Fulled  6y  hours  ;  56  inches  ;  shrinkage  3  inches ; 
72  inches  on  loom. 

D.  Two  pieces  35  yards  in  each;  7  ounces 
of  soap ;  1   ounce  of  soda  ash  to  the  gallon. 

27 


Fulled  7  hours  ;  56  inches  wide  ;  shrinkage  3 
inches ;  72  inches  on  loom.  A  little  uneven  and 
inclined  to  be  cockly. 

Fair  alkalies  must  be  used— These  tests  show 
that  a  fair  alkali  must  be  used  in  order  to  full 
quick  and  even.  Those  that  fulled  the  longest, 
and  had  the  least  alkali,  were  not  as  good  as  A 
and  B.  B  was  just  a  trifle  better  for  color,  but 
not  so  good  a  piece,  for  it  was  not  up  to  width. 
These  pieces  were  all  of  the  same  style,  and  the 
oil  used  was  a  mineral  oil,  with  Crown  soap. 
But  I  have  found  by  experience  that  better  re- 
sults have  been  obtained,  with  the  least  amount 
of  alkali  named,  by  using  a  prime  white-lard  oiL 

Various  methods  of  flocking.— Now,  in  regard  to 
flocking,  there  are  various  ways  in  which  to  per- 
form this  operation.  It  depends  considerably 
upon  how  much  weight  has  to  be  made  up  by 
flocking;  also  upon  how  long  the  pieces  are  full- 
ing, and  what  is  the  condition  of  the  flocks.  I 
have  used,  on  fine  goods,  all  clean  shear  and  gig- 
flocks,  taking  a  half  shear,  the  other  half  gig,  and 
grinding  them  fine,  then  mixing  50  pounds  of 
these  with  25  pounds  of  uncut  shear-flocks.  They 
do  not  sift  out  of  the  goods  as  much  as  by  using 
all  cut  flocks.  The  staple  being  longer,  it  felts 
with  a  nap  on  the  back  and  helps  to  retain  the 
fine  ones. 


28 


Dry  flocking— Dry-flocking  is  detrimental  to 
quick  fulling,  although  where  3  or  4  ounces  have 
to  be  made  up  in  flocks,  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
get  them  heavy  enough  without  so  doing.  Then, 
again,  the  flocks  can  be  put  on  more  evenly. 
The  pieces  do  not  flatten  down  so  much  as  when 
wet,  and  if  run  for  15  or  20  minutes,  every  part 
of  them  is  liable  to  be  covered. 

Rule  for  flocking. — As  for  a  rule  for  flocking, 
I  would  say :  Try  a  piece ;  give  it  so  many 
ounces  to  the  yard — perhaps  part  dry  and  the 
rest  of  them  after  they  have  been  wet  down — and 
run  for  an  hour.  If  you  get  it  right,  make  a  rule 
by  this  trial.  For  instance  :  The  piece  weighs  26 
ounces.  Take  30  ounces  for  a  standard.  Find 
the  difference  between  the  two,  which  is  4  ounces. 
Multiply  the  number  of  yards  in  the  piece  by  4 
ounces  and  divide  by  16  ounces,  and  this  will  give 
the  number  of  pounds  to  the  piece.  If  the  next 
weighs  only  25  ounces,  then,  of  course,  we  need 
more  flocks  ;  but  by  finding  the  difference  each 
time,  especially  when  there  is  much  variation  in 
the  weight  or  yards,  we  form  a  system  by  which 
each  gets  a  proportionate  amount  each  time,  and 
at  the  same  time  the  operator  must  adapt  his 
method  to  the  goods,  the  machinery  and  the 
flocks  he  may  have  to  use,  and  be  governed 
accordingly. 

29 


Example  in  light-weight  goods— I  will  give  an 
example  of  flocking  in  the  case  of  a  piece  of  light- 
weight goods,  cotton  weave.  They  fulled  hard, 
and  weighed  but  6j5q-  ounces  off  the  loom.  Fin- 
ish-weight wanted,  6^  to  7  ounces.  If  I  flocked 
dry,  they  would  full  all  day ;  so  I  let  them  run 
until  they  were  within  two  inches  of  being  up  to 
the  required  width.  Then  I  put  the  flocks  to 
them,  about  6  ounces  to  the  yard,  and  got  them 
out  in  4  hours,  and  up  to  weight.  There  were 
more  or  less  waste  flocks  from  the  mills,  but 
these  we  dried  and  ground  over.  It  took  nearly 
twice  as  many  this  way  as  it  would  have  done 
had  they  been  flocked  dry,  and  a  third  more  than 
if  I  had  put  them  on,  the  first  thing,  after  wetting 
them  down  with  the  soap. 

Various  goods  flocked.— Seme  Scotch  goods 
which  I  once  had,  I  flocked  just  as  soon  as  they 
were  soaped.  They  weighed  10  ounces  off  of  the 
loom.  Finish-weight  wanted,  13  ounces.  I  put 
on  about  10  ounces  to  the  yard ;  |-  width.  They 
fulled  ^y2  hours,  and  came  out  plenty  heavy 
enough.  It  was  much  easier  to  get  the  weight 
of  these  than  that  of  some  Meltons  that  were  in 
the  works  at  the  same  time.  They  weighed  one 
ounce  more  off  the  loom.  Finish-weight  wanted 
was  the  same.  They  fulled  3  hours,  and  were 
flocked  the  same  ;  but,  inasmuch  as  they  required 
more  gigging,  it  was  not  so  easy  to  get  the  weight. 

30 


Flocking  some  union  cassimeres  that  weighed  23 
ounces  off  the  loom,  finish-weight  26^  ounces,  I 
put  on  1 2  ounces  dry,  ran  them  an  hour  after 
wetting  down,  and  put  on  4  ounces  more.  Then, 
an  hour  later,  I  again  put  on  4  ounces  more. 
The  only  guide  we  could  have  on  the  goods  was 
to  tell  by  the  feeling.  If  we  thought  they  were 
not  heavy  enough  after  putting  on  20  ounces  to 
the  yard,  we  added  more,  until  we  arrived  at 
the  right  point. 

Always  have  the  same  grade  of  flocks,  if 
possible,  and  always  have  the  pieces  in  the  same 
condition  when  flocked.  If  you  do  not,  it  will 
be  almost  impossible  to  get  them  even  in  weight. 

Heavy  flocking. — Where  goods  have  to  be 
heavily  flocked,  it  is  a  good  idea  not  to  remove 
all  the  waste  of  the  previous  set  of  pieces,  so  that 
this  waste  may  help  to  fill  up  the  corners  and 
crevices  of  the  fulling  mills.  This  will  effect  a 
saving  of  quite  40  per  cent,  of  the  new  flocks.  I 
have  long  pursued  this  plan  and  I  find  that  I  can 
actually  make  such  a  saving  every  time. 

Soap  and  alkali.— Next,  soap  and  alkali  per- 
form an  important  part  in  fulling,  and  it  is  very 
essential  that  they  should  be  uniform  in  quality 
and  strength.  Many  use  the .  alkali-tester,  and 
try  each  tank  of  soap ;  but,  as  I  never  have  been 
able  to  purchase  one  that  did  not  require  the  test 
to  be  made  at  60  0  temperature,  and  as  I  have 


31 


never  been  able  to  do  this  with  my  fulling  soap, 
I  should  have  got  just  as  good  a  test  by  sticking 
it  in  a  tank  of  mud.  With  soap  having  body 
enough  for  fulling  at  6o°,  I  could  make  it  stand 
i°  or4o°,  as  I  chose.  As  I  have  said  before,  pur- 
chase your  soap  of  a  reliable  company  that  will 
always  give  an  even  article.  I  have  used,  I  think, 
every  make  of  soap  in  the  United  States,  and 
there  are  many  good  ones,  and  many  in  which 
there  is  no  material  difference.  I  first  find  out 
how  much  my  soap-tanks  hold  by  squaring  the 
diameter  or  multiplying  the  diameter  by  the 
diameter  in  inches.  Then  multiply  by  the  depth 
in  inches  ;  then  by  .OC34 ;  point  off  the  decimal 
in  the  product,  which  will  give  you  the  gallons. 
In  making  my  soap,  I  boil  just  enough  to  dissolve 
it  thoroughly.  A  tallow-chip  soap  will  need 
boiling  from  4  to  5  hours ;  but  an  ordinary  soap 
needs  but  about  2l/2  hours,  stirring  well  while 
boiling.  Then  add  the  alkali,  which  it  is  best 
to  dissolve  in  a  separate  barrel  or  tank,  to  prevent 
any  hard  substances  from  getting  into  the  soap. 
Then  fill  up  with  cold  water,  and  stir  occasion- 
ally while  filling.  Let  this  remain  until  perfectly 
cool. 

Curdling1  Soap.— If  the  soap  curdles  after  being 
properly  cooked  or  boiled,  see  if  the  hard  soap 
is  all  right.  If  it  is  not  it  will  usually  look 
streaked,  and  the  ingredients  will  not  be  properly 

32 


mixed.  It  is  wholly  unnecessary  for  me  to  say 
more  in  regard  to  the  strength  of  soap  to  use  in 
the ,  fulling  mills.  I  have  given  examples  of 
different  strengths.  Use  it  as  light  as  possible  ; 
at  the  same  time  start  the  grease  well. 

Points  about  alkalies. — If  in  buying  alkali  it  is 
impossible  to  get  the  same  brand,  take  one  pound 
of  soda  ash  with  a  quart  of  water,  dissolve,  and 
see  what  it  stands.  If  you  wish,  each  new  lot 
can  be  tried  in  the  same  way. 

In  regard  to  the  different  kinds  of  alkalies, 
I  would  say  that  I  have  used  pure  alkali,  sal 
soda,  salt,  etc.,  but  A  No.  i  soda  ash  is  good 
enough  for  me.  Many  say  that  sal  soda,  being 
a  milder  alkali,  does  not  make  the  goods  so  harsh. 
There  are  other  places  in  the  finishing-room  to 
make  the  pieces  harsh  besides  the  fulling  mills. 
I  have  taken,  when  a  large  quantity  of  alkali  was 
used,  sal  soda,  but  did  it  because  I  had  a  quan- 
tity on  hand — as  much  as  for  making  the  goods 
feel  soft.  It  takes  about  2  3^  ounces  of  sal  soda 
to  stand  the  test  of  I  ounce  of  soda  ash. 

Thin  liquor  for  scouring  soap.— For  a  scouring 
soap  I  prefer  a  thin  liquor.  I  have  used  the  same 
as  I  did  for  fulling,  and  was  successful.  I  usu- 
ally make  up  a  tank,  say,  of  200  gallons.  Use 
about  75  pounds  of  some  good  scouring  soap 
and  50  to  62^/2  pounds  of  soda  ash.  Then  re- 
duce it  to  whatever  strength  is  necessary  by 

33 


taking  it  out  into  a  barrel.  Then  fill  up  with 
water,  perhaps  one-half  soap  and  one-half  water, 
or  12  soap  and  6  water — whatever  is  needed. 
In  scouring  woolens,  I  usually  put  plenty  of 
liquor  on,  but  use  it  as  weak  as  possible.  To  4 
pieces,  put  on  a  barrel  of  liquor  made  by  redu- 
cing the  above  one-half  soap  and  one-half  water. 
I  would  run  these  20  minutes  in  soap.  Then 
let  on  a  little  lukewarm  water — enough  to  thin 
the  soap  somewhat.  Run  5  minutes  ;  then  open 
the  gates  to  the  washer  and  let  on  a  little  more 
warm  water.  When  they  have  drained  off  pretty 
well,  give  them  a  little  more  warm  water.  Then 
rinse  45  minutes.  Where  the  pieces  have  been 
very  dirty,  I  have  first  rinsed  them  off  in  warm 
water,  then  soaped  them  as  before,  and  taken  the 
above-mentioned  time  to  run  in  soap  and  warm 
water. 

Scouring  before  fulling.— If  I  scoured  any  of 
my  goods  before  fulling  them,  I  first  wet  them 
enough  to  make  them  all  moist,  then  added 
enough  soap,  say,  half  a  barrelful,  to  start  them 
well.  They  would  scour  fully  as  hard  as 
if  they  had  been  fulled  at  first.  I  have  also  had 
goods  on  which,  after  they  had  run  about  ten 
minutes,  the  soap  would  be  all  neutralized.  I 
would  then  rinse  this  off  with  warm  water  and 
put  on  more  soap.  If  the  grease  is  well  started 
in  the  mill,  and  you  raise  a  good,  clean  lather  in 


34 


the  washer,  there  is  not  much  to  fear  in  the  way 
of  cloudy  goods,  or  those  that  will  smell  after 
being  finished. 

Sometimes,  when  it  is  necessary  to  return 
pieces  to  the  washer,  and  have  them  rescoured, 
care  should  be  taken  that  the  soap  is  strong 
enough  and  of  heavy  body,  as  it  will  be  liable 
to  die  out,  turn  watery,  and  then  it  will  be  an 
impossibility  to  get  them  free  from  odor. 

Bur,  or  speck-dyeing. — We  next  have  bur  or 
speck-dyeing,  which  may  be  done  in  several  ways, 
on  cheap  classes  of  goods,  in  the  fulling  mill ; 
but  I  do  not  consider  this  the  proper  way,  and  I 
never  used  it  so  but  on  satinets. 

A  good  dye  can  be  made  thus  :  200  pounds 
extract  logwood,  no  pounds  soda  ash,  and  50 
pounds  blue  vitriol.  This  makes  200  gallons 
of  dye  that  stands  about  io°,  which  we  reduce 
to  whatever  strength  is  required  to  cover  the 
specks.  Boil  in  sufficient  water  to  dissolve 
thoroughly  the  ingredients,  boiling  the  logwood 
and  vitriol  together.  Then  add  the  soda  ash 
liquor.  Boil  as  quickly  as  possible — from  one  to 
two  hours,  sure.  Stir  well.  30  should  be  plenty 
strong  enough  to  cover  the  speck  under  ordinary 
circumstances;  and  it  should  be  a  dark  plum 
color.  Take  a  pine  stick  and  let  it  remain  in  the 
dye  a  minute.  If  the  shade  is  too  red,  it  needs 
more  blue  vitriol ;  if  too  blue,  add  more  soda  ash. 


35 


From  the  fulling  mills  put  the  goods  into 
the  washer  and  raise  well  with  soap.  When  they 
have  run  about  10  minutes,  if  they  lather  nicely, 
add  2  pails  of  30  dye  to  each  piece,  running 
them  in  soap  and  dye  20  minutes.  Then  rinse 
well  with  cold  water — say  45  minutes. 

Another  method —Another  way  is  this  :  After 
you  have  scoured  and  rinsed  well  with  cold  water, 
add  3  pails  of  2°  dye  to  each  f  piece.  Run  them 
10  minutes  and  rinse  45  minutes.  When  taken 
from  the  gig — which  is  the  best  way  to  bur-dye 
— use  about  the  same  as  the  others,  although 
would  be  enough  ordinarily;  for,  as  soon 
as  they  are  done,  they  can  be  extracted  and 
dried,  whereas,  with  the  other  way,  they  have  to 
lie  around  wet  perhaps  two  days  or  more.  Then 
again,  the  teasels  in  the  gigs  wear  off  much  of 
the  dye ;  and  there  are  other  troubles  which 
come  under  another  part  of  the  wet  finishing, 
and  which  make  it  much  more  desirable  to  dye 
this  way. 

Blue  cast  on  mixes. — Where  a  blue  cast  is  re- 
quired on  mixes,  I  have  at  times  achieved  this 
by  making  a  dye  of  double  the  quantity  of  blue 
vitriol  and  taking  as  much  off  of  the  soda  ash. 
It  is  the  vitriol  that  colors  the  wool ;  therefore 
use  as  little  as  possible  ;  but  at  the  same  time 
keep  a  good  color  on  the  specks.  Always  test 
your  dye  before  using.    Put  on  even  quantities, 

36 


and  always  use  it  stone-cold,  and  you  will  not  be 
troubled  with  different  shades  by  bur-dyeing. 

Bur-dyeing  union  cassimeres — Having  some 
light  and  heavy  weight  cotton  warps,  wool  filling, 
or  union  cassimeres,  I  tried  to  use  the  bur-dye 
that  I  used  on  all-wool  cassimeres  before  I  gigged 
them.  But  it  required  so  strong  a  dye  to  cover  up 
the  specks  that  it  gave  a  red  shade  to  the  goods, 
although  the  cotton  and  specks  showed  a  blue 
shade.  It  seemed  to  affect  the  wool ;  and  as  many 
of  the  colors  had  more  or  less  cotton  in  them, 
the  whole  appearance  was  changed.  I  then  used 
the  following  formula  and  found  it  was  a  success: 

Goods  bur-dyed  after  they  were  gigged  : 
175  lbs.  extract  logwood. 
140  lbs.  soda  ash. 
90  lbs.  blue  vitriol. 

This  makes  200  gallons  of  dye  that  will 
stand  about  I5°;this  I  reduce  to  2°  for  dark 
colors  and  i°  for  light  shades,  putting  on 
2*/£  common  pails  of  dye  to  each  f-  piece,  run- 
ning from  10  to  15  minutes  in  the  dye  and  rinse 
about  20  minutes.  If  the  goods  crock  any  they 
should  be  rinsed  longer.  This  depends  on  how 
good  a  stream  of  water  one  has  to  the  washers ; 
but  I  find  with  this  formula  that  they  can  be 
rinsed  very  easily,  much  more  so  than  by  No.  I 
recipe. 

37 


CHAPTER  IV. 


GIGGING. 

Purposes  of  gigging — New  and  old  gigs — All-wool 
cass  i  meres— Various  styles  of  finish  and  methods 
of  producing  them — Fancy  colors — The  teasels 
— Goods  with  a  twist — Tender  goods. 

Gigging. — Gigging  is  a  process  of  raising  and 
straightening  the  felt  and  burls  produced  by  full- 
ing, and  when  they  are  thus  raised  they  are 
called  the  "  nap."  Various  effects  in  finishing 
may  thus  be  produced.  Different  weaves,  stock, 
and  combinations  have  to  be  carefully  regarded 
at  this  point  of  the  finishing  of  woolen  cassimeres. 
It  is  very  essential  that  this  process  should  be 
properly  performed,  for  it  is  impossible  to  remedy 
defects  on  any  of  the  machinery  subsequently 
used. 

Of  course  a  piece  can  be  re-gigged  after  it 
has  been  sheared,  but  the  result  will  hardly  be 
the  same,  and  there  is  more  or  less  danger  of 
injuring  the  goods. 

New  and  old  gigs.— There  are  various  kinds 
of  gigs  in  use ;  but  the  same  results  can  be  ob- 
tained from  almost  all  of  them,  from  an  old  style 
up-and-down,  a  single  cylinder  rotary,  or  a 
double  cylinder  rotary  gig.    I  have  often  heard 

38 


old  finishers  claim  that  a  better  finish  could  be 
obtained  from  the  old  style  gigs,  as  they  thought 
they  could  regulate  their  friction  better;  but  I  do 
not  see  the  philosophy  of  this  assertion,  and  I 
know  by  experience  that  the  new  style  machinery 
will  do  the  work  as  well  as,  and  quicker  and 
easier  than,  the  old.  A  piece  of  goods  for  the  gigs 
should  not  be  exceedingly  wet,  neither  should  it 
be  dry,  but  just  moist  enough  to  insure  that  the 
flock  will  not  fly  about  the  room.  Therefore 
when  the  fabrics  come  from  the  washers,  they 
should  be  extracted  in  a  hydro-extractor,  say 
four  or  five  minutes.  Then  put  them  on  a  roll- 
ing machine  with  stretcher  attached,  to  remove 
all  wrinkles  and  straighten  the  listing  if  it  be 
curled  up,  rolling  them  tightly  and  evenly. 
When  rolled,  lay  them  down  flat  upon  a  bench 
or  rack.  Some  prefer  to  stand  them  on  end, 
but  I  have  always  found  more  or  less  trouble  with 
uneven  moisture.  Even  when  the  ends  were 
reversed,  the  one  which  was  at  the  bottom  last, 
ivas  liable  to  be  more  moist,  and  this  being  the 
case,  uneven  gigging  followed,  as  the  nap  on  the 
dry  side  would  not  straighten  out  as  well  as  that 
on  the  wet. 

Illustrations. — It  is  impossible  to  give  a  gen- 
eral rule  for  gigging  a  piece  of  goods,  but  a 
few  illustrations  may  supply  some  instructive 
ideas. 


39 


The  principles  of  gigging  are  the  same,  no 
matter  which  kinds  of  gigs  are  used.  It  is  always 
essential  to  commence  with  teasels  that  are 
somewhat  worn,  or  "  old  work  "  as  it  is  usually 
called,  for  a  new  teasel  at  first  only  injures  the 
fabric  and  the  finish  required.  Always  bear  in 
mind  that  much  depends  upon  the  time  employed 
in  fulling  ;  and  I  here  claim  that  goods  that  are 
fulled  on  time  can  be  more  evenly  gigged  than 
those  that  vary. 

All-wool  cassimeres.  —We  will  first  take  a  set 
of  4  pieces  of  all-wool  cassimeres,  made  of  single 
yarns,  fulled  two  and  one-half  hours  and  shrunk 
3  inches  to  the  yard.  They  are  firm  and  quite 
well  felted.  We  will  illustrate  on  a  double 
cylinder  gig.  The  finish  required  is  close,  but 
not  like  a  worsted.  The  nap  is  to  lie  so  that  it 
will  be  impossible  to  feel  any  spring.  At  the 
same  time  the  threads  must  be  full  and  plump, 
and  everyone  visible,  to  show  the  pattern  nicely. 
We  first  fill  both  cylinders  with  "  old  work  "  and 
run  one  hour.  Then  turn  the  slats  over  and  run 
one  hour.  Then  put  10,  or  just  one-half  of 
each  cylinder  with  a  grade  better  work.  We 
will  call  them  2's  (twos).  Run  one  hour,  then 
turn  them  over,  reversing  those  in  No.  I  cylinder 
or  in  front  Put  on  a  straight  belt,  or  reverse 
gears,  so  that  both  cylinders  will  work  the  same 
way  and  run  one  hour.    Then  take  out  the  2's 

40 


and  replace  the  "  old  work/*  and,  with  a  very  fine 
perforated  pipe,  sprinkle  the  goods  for  thirty  min- 
utes. Then  take  off  and  put  them  on  what  is 
termed  a  wet  or  moistening  gig,  which  has  a 
trough  of  water  directly  under  the  bottom  roll 
Give  them  three  or  four  runs  and  extract  well. 
After  they  are  dry  give  them  two  runs  on  the 
dry  gig-  This  makes  one  of  the  finest  finishes 
that  can  be  produced  on  a  fancy  cassimere. 

First  gigging  may  have  to  be  increased— The 

first  gigging  may  have  to  be  increased,  as  this 
would  depend  on  the  fabric;  but  after  they  have 
been  gigged  enough,  the  water  finish  is  added. 
I  will  guarantee  that  it  will  more  than  repay  the 
labor  expended,  as  the  goods  will  always  give 
satisfaction.  There  will  be  no  complaints  of  the 
goods  catching  lint,  roughing  of  the  nap,  or 
having  that  dry  and  harsh  feeling  which  the  trade 
objects  too.  And  it  is  at  this  point,  in  my  opinion, 
that  more  harm  is  done,  and  more  harsh,  dry, 
crisp  goods  are  made,  than  by  the  soda  ash  used 
in  the  soaps  for  fulling  and  scouring. 

If  the  goods  are  gigged  too  dry,  they  will  feel 
so  when  finished.  When  I  make  this  assertion, 
I  mean  goods  that  full  from  two  to  four  hours. 
For  instance  :  I  once  had  some  fancy  whip-cords 
or  cork-screws.  A  very  poor  black  was  used. 
It  stained  the  silk  which  formed  the  stripe. 
They  fulled  three-quarters  of  an  hour.    I  dried 

41 


them,  and  gave  them  two  hours  on  "  old  work," 
and  a  half  hour  straight  belt.  They  looked  well 
and  gave  perfect  satisfaction  in  the  market;  but 
I  think  they  were  the  only  goods  I  ever  handled 
that  did  give  satisfaction  worked  in  this  way. 

Different  kinds  of  finish.— For  a  velour  finish,  I 
should  work  in  the  same  way  as  in  the  first  illus- 
tration, although  the  goods  should  full  longer,  and 
thus  they  would  need,  perhaps,  a  better  class  of 
"  work  "  or  teasels  and  should  be  run  longer  with 
the  straight  belt. 

A  melton  finish. — For  a  melton  finish,  the 
method  is,  of  course,  different,  for  the  goods  are 
not  to  be  cleared  out,  neither  is  the  nap  to  be" 
long  and  lie  flat,  but  it  is  to  be  more  like  a  piece 
of  velvet.  To  obtain  this,  if  the  piece  is  made 
of  slack  twist,  which  it  should  be,  give  4  pieces 
two  hours  on  "  old  work  "  with  the  same  grade 
of  teasels  in  both  cylinders  and  the  cloth  touch- 
ing both  the  same. 

If  goods  full  long  and  have  considerable 
felt  in  them,  it  will  be  necessary  to  have  more 
than  two  grades  of  teasels.  I  have  gigged  some 
that  fulled  six  to  seven  hours  in  this  way  :  One 
hour  "  old  work,"  one  hour  10  twos,  each  cyl- 
inder; one  hour  10  twos  turned.  Then  put  in 
10  threes  (or  a  grade  better),  and  run  an  hour. 
Then  to  the  back  cylinders  add  5  sharps  or 

42 


breakers,  and  run  from  one-half  hour  to  one 
hour  as  may  be  necessary. 

A  doeskin  finish. — For  a  doeskin  finish,  we  will 
illustrate  on  an  old  style  up-and-down  gig. 
Two  pieces  of  black  doeskins,  made  of  good 
fleece  wool.  They  full  from  ten  to  fifteen  hours 
Fill  the  cylinder  with  "  old  work,"  give  them  6 
runs,  reverse  the  cloth  and  turn  the  slats.  Give 
6  runs,  reverse  the  cloth  and  fill  the  cylinder  with 
twos.  Give  6  runs,  reverse  cloth  and  slats ;  then 
6  runs  more  ;  fill  again  the  cylinder  with  threes, 
give  6  runs,  reverse  the  cloth,  and  slats ;  give  6 
runs  more  ;  then  remove  the  piece  from  the  gig, 
and,  after  having  the  goods  back-burled,  put 
them  on  the  shear,  if  they  are  to  be  finished  so 
that  the  twill  or  weave  is  to  show  crop-close. 
If  this  is  not  desired,  blur,  or  leave  the  nap  long. 
Put  them  back  on  the  gig  and  give  them  a  run 
or  two  on  the  same  "  work  "  that  was  used  before 
the  cloth  was  taken  off.  In  the  meantime, 
sprinkle  them  evenly  with  water,  with  a  watering 
pot  or  a  whisk  broom,  as  they  will  be  too  dry 
after  shearing  for  successful  gigging.  Then  fill 
up  with  fours,  give  8  runs,  reverse  the  cloth  and 
slats  and  give  8  runs  more.  Then  put  in  about 
6  sharps,  or  breakers,  giving  from  6  to  io  runs, 
which  will  usually  be  sufficient.  Then  put  them 
on  a  wet  gig,  give  them  2  runs,  run  them  off 
on  a  roll,  put  them  into  a  steam  or  water-box 

43 


and  boil  eight  hours.  Take  them  out  and  let 
stand  until  perfectly  cool.  Put  on  the  wet  gig 
again,  give  them  2  runs  and  reverse  the  ends 
when  put  on  to  the  roll  again.  Repeat  this 
operation  of  steaming  two  or  three  times,  and 
more,  if  convenient,  always  reversing  the  ends  of 
the  pieces  to  keep  the  shades  even  and  to  keep 
both  ends  alike.  Then,  when  thoroughly  cool,  put 
them  in  the  washer  and  rinse  well  with  cold  water. 

After  they  have  been  colored,  put  them  on 
the  gig  and  straighten  out  the  nap  nicely,  say 
three  or  four  runs.  Extract  well  and  dry. 
If  dried  on  the  bars,  take  a  hand-brush  and 
smooth  out  any  place  that  may  have  become 
roughed  up  by  tentering  ;  and  when  dry  they 
will  be  ready  for  the  shear. 

Mixed  doeskins. — For  mixed  doeskins,  change 
the  gigging  somewhat,  They  full  the  same  as  the 
blacks  excepting  that  one  is  scoured  before  full- 
ing while  the  other  is  fulled  in  the  grease.  Gig 
them  the  same  up  to  the  fours,  crop  and  again 
the  same  as  the  blacks.  Then  dry  the  pieces  and 
crop  again.  Put  them  on  the  gig  and  give  four 
or  five  runs.  Then  put  them  on  the  brushing 
machine  and  give  them  two  or  three  runs,  at  the 
same  time  giving  them  a  little  dry  steam.  Then 
press  hard. 

After  this  run  them  on  the  wet  gig  so  that 
they  may  be  rolled  for  the  steam  box.  Lay 

44 


them  in  the  box  flat,  on  cleats  nailed  to  the  box, 
taking  precaution  that  they  do  not  touch  each 
other  or  the  sides  of  the  box.  Steam  six  to 
eight  hours;  take  them  out  and  cool ;  put  on  gig 
two  runs,  reverse  the  ends  of  the  pieces,  and 
when  taken  out  to  cool,  be  sure  and  reverse  the 
ends  of  the  rolls  or  the  colors  will  be  uneven. 

Steam  again  eight  hours  with  the  leader 
or  ticking  used  to  sew  the  pieces  on  the  gig, 
wrapped  round  the  roll.  Take  out,  and  when 
perfectly  cool,  put  them  in  the  washer,  and  wash 
with  fuller's  earth,  one  pail  of  the  earth  to  a  bar- 
rel of  water,  and  enough  of  this  to  wet  thor- 
oughly the  pieces.  Then  give  them  a  few  runs 
on  the  wet  gig.    Extract  and  dry. 

Fancy  colors.— Fancy  colors,  such  as  oranges, 
lavenders,  mixes,  etc.,  will  stand  about  1400  dry 
steam.  Blacks,  or  black  and  white  mixes,  will 
stand  either  wet  or  dry  steaming.  If  dry,  lay 
them  on  cleats ;  if  boiled  or  wet  steamed,  stand 
them  up  squarely  in  the  box  ;  1800  will  not  harm 
them. 

Scotch  goods— For  a  finish  on  Scotch  goods 
that  fulled  about  four  hours,  and  were  heavily 
flocked,  "  old  work "  in  both  cylinders,  cloth 
striking  each  the  same.  Run  a  half  hour  only, 
but  have  the  peculiarity  of  the  finish  made  on 
the  shear. 


45 


Hair-line  finish. — A  hair-line  finish  on  cotton 
warps,  illustrated  on  an  up-and-down  gig:  Cyl- 
inder filled  with  "  old  work  "  ;  six  runs  ;  reverse 
slats  and  cloth ;  six  runs  more ;  reverse  cloth, 
put  in  the  twelve  twos,  give  six  runs,  take  them 
off  and  crop  say  half  way  down.  Put  them  on 
the  gig  again,  give  six  runs,  reverse  cloth  and 
add  six  sharps  or  breakers.  Give  twelve  runs. 
The  goods  full  six  hours  and  are  heavily  flocked. 
Finish  required  is  clear,  but  soft  and  velvety. 

Fancy  cotton  warp  finish— A  fancy  cotton 
warp  finish,  all  cotton,  filling  all  wool :  Six  runs 
"  old  work " ;  reverse  slats  and  cloth ;  six  runs, 
again  reverse  cloth,  add  twelve  fours,  give  ten  to 
eighteen  runs,  as  may  be  necessary.  The  goods 
full  five  hours  and  are  heavily  flocked. 

Worsted  finish— In  a  worsted  finish  the  goods 
should  not  have  excessive  fulling.  Raise  the  nap 
slowly  at  first  with  "  old  work."  Then  gig  them 
one  way.  It  may  be  necessary  to  put  in  iotwos 
in  the  finishing  cylinder.  The  more  they  are 
worked  one  way,  the  higher  the  luster  that  will 
be  obtained. 

Care  must  be  taken  not  to  streak  the  goods. 
Always  use  a  fine  teasel.  If  using  iron  slats, 
have  them  set  with  three  rows.  If  set  properly 
they  should  break  joints,  or  the  same  as  shingles 
are  put  on.  Also  see  that  they  are  all  of  the 
same  size. 

46 


The  teasels. — In  order  to  keep  the  teasels,  or 
u  work,"  as  it  is  called,  always  the  same,  some 
system  should  be  used,  in  adding  new  slats,  and 
at  the  same  time,  not  to  alter  the  finish  of  your 
goods.  I  have  always  found  the  following  to 
work  well,  although  this  might  possibly  be  im- 
proved upon. 

Goods  with  k  twist.— If  you  have  goods  with 
twist  in  them,  or  a  good  strong  fabric,  work  in 
breakers  or  new  teasels  when  finishing  up,  so  as 
to  have  plenty  to  throw  into  fours,  or  sharps,  for 
more  delicate  goods  that  may  follow,  which  will 
not  require  as  good  work  to  finish  up  with.  Take 
three  slats  from  the  fours  you  have  been  using, 
and  lay  aside  until  there  are  nine  thus  thrown 
out.  Then  take  nine  from  the  finishing  cylinder, 
and  replace  them  with  the  old  fours.  Then  take 
from  the  first  cylinder's  nine,  and  replace  them 
with  those  taken  from  the  finishing  cylinder. 
This  leaves  nine  slats  rejected,  which  should  be 
reset  with  new  teasels,  always  taking  the  poorest 
to  change  from  one  to  another.  It  is  not  safe  to 
work  in  more  than  three  sharps  or  breakers  at  a 
time,  unless  it  is  a  24-slat  cylinder;  then  I  should 
use  four  at  a  time;  but  in  an  18-slat  cylinder 
three  are  enough.  Always  have  them  divided 
evenly ;  and  put  on  the  brakes  gradually,  not  all 
at  once.  Even  if  the  goods  will  stand  such  treat- 
ment, it  only  breaks  down  the  points  of  the  teasels. 

47 


Practice  needed  for  good  work —I  wish  all  of 
the  readers  of  this  article  to  understand  one 
thing,  and  that  is  this :  I  do  not  claim  in  any  of 
the  above  illustrations,  that  they  can  put  a  piece 
of  goods  on  the  gigs  and  give  it  just  so  much 
time  or  so  many  runs,  and  have  the  piece 
gigged  all  right.  This  can  only  be  determined 
by  practice  and  judgment.  To  find  out  when  a 
piece  of  goods  is  gigged  nearly  enough,  take  the 
goods  firmly  over  the  fingers  of  the  left  hand, 
and,  with  thumbnail,  part  the  nap.  If  the  threads 
look  clear,  and  show  up  round  and  full,  they  are 
nearly  gigged.  Or  a  pen-knife  inserted  under 
the  nap,  if  it  enters  freely,  will  give  you  an  idea, 
with  a  little  practice,  as  to  about  what  condition 
they  are  in ;  also  what  we  term  the  "  feel "  or 
handle  of  a  piece  of  goods  makes  another  guide 
to  go  by.  They  should  feel  pliable  and  soft  and 
the  nap  lie  smoothly  and  straight. 

Tender  goods. — One  more  thing  I  wish  to  say 
before  drawing  this  chapter  to  a  close  :  It  is  in 
regard  to  tender  goods.  Many  are  made  on  the 
gigs  ;  at  the  same  time  it  may  be  necessary  to 
make  them  so,  in  order  to  obtain  the  finish 
required.  If  a  worsted  finish  is  wanted,  and  the 
goods  have  fulled  eight  or  more  hours,  I  defy 
almost  any  man  to  obtain  it  on  single  yarns. 
When  a  certain  finish  is  required  it  should  be 
regulated  before  it  gets  to  the  gigs.  Always 

43 


look  and  see  that  your  goods  are  strong  before 
they  go  on  the  gigs.  I  have  seen  goods  that 
had  all  double  and  twist  filling  which  were  like 
pulp.  After  fulling  four  hours  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  gig  them  at  all  and  have  them  strong. 
Tender  goods  can  be  caused  by  tender  wool,  by 
using  an  excessive  amount  of  sulphuric  acid  in 
the  dye-house,  by  the  wool  being  cut  on  the  cards, 
by  not  having  enough  twist  in  the  yarn,  by  long 
fulling,  and  by  excessive  gigging.  Always  see 
that  the  fulling  and  gigging  are  properly  done. 
Then,  if  you  have  tender  goods,  look  elsewhere. 


49 


CHAPTER  V. 


DRYING. 

Drying  machines  or  tenter-bars — The  best  methods 
of  drying  worsteds  and  woolens— practical  hints 
— Troubles  with  the  flocks. 

Drying  machines  or  tenter-bars.— When  woolen 
or  worsted  goods  come  from  the  gigs  they  should 
be  thoroughly  extracted  before  putting  them  on 
the  drying  machine  or  tenter-bars.  There  has 
always  been  more  or  less  discussion  as  to  which 
is  the  better  way  to  dry  goods.  Many  claim 
that  a  piece  of  cloth  will  look  and  handle  better 
dried  in  the  open  air,  on  the  tenter-bars,  than  on 
a  drying  machine.  I  have  never  been  able  to 
discover  the  superiority  of  one  way  to  another. 
I  have  employed  both  methods  with  the  same 
class  of  goods,  and  also  on  very  particular  work. 
I  have  used  several  different  styles  of  drying 
machines,  but  not  all  of  them  ;  and  I  prefer  a  first- 
class  machine  to  tenter-bars  for  almost  all  classes 
of  goods,  and  for  several  reasons.  Take  a  large 
mill  that  will  produce  from  twenty  to  thirty  6-4 
pieces  per  day  on  fancy  cassimeres  or  worsteds. 
One  man  with  a  machine  and  good  steam  will 
easily  dry  these,  and  I  have  dried  from  forty  to 
fifty  pieces  per  day. 

50 


This  work  is  all  done  by  one  man.  He  is 
responsible  if  the  goods  are  damaged  by  negli- 
gence. They  are  more  likely  to  come  out  uni- 
form, both  in  width  and  the  natural  stretching 
they  receive  lengthwise.  Then,  again,  if  it  should 
happen  (which  it  often  does)  that  there  is  a  hurry 
for  any  particular  style,  it  does  not  take  more 
than  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  to  dry  a  piece, 
whereas  on  the  bars  it  would  take  possibly  half  of  a 
day  before  the  fabric  would  be  ready.  I  consider 
it  fully  as  cheap,  if  not  cheaper,  to  dry  on  a  ma- 
chine as  on  the  bars  out  of  doors,  and  the  goods 
will  look  as  well.  There  will  be  many  readers 
of  this  article  that  have  not  forgotten  the  time 
(and  many  that  are  obliged  to  do  it  now  will  best 
realize  how  pleasant  it  was)  when  it  was  neces- 
sary to  shoulder  a  wet  piece  of  goods  and  start 
out  for  the  tenter-bars  with  the  mercury  below 
zero.  It  is  by  no  means  agreeable  to  leave  a 
warm  room  to  do  this  work,  but  it  must  be  done 
just  the  same ;  and  after  the  fingers  have  become 
almost  numb  with  the  cold,  the  workman  may 
accidentally  receive  a  cold  tenter-hook  in  the  ball 
of  the  thumb  or  finger.  I  know  just  how  pleasant 
this  is.  I  have  been  through  the  experience,  and 
if  I  had  followed  it  up  much  longer,  I  doubt  if  I 
should  have  been  a  finisher. 

Tentering. — One  man  stands  at  the  head  of  the 
bars  and  hooks  on  the  end  of  the  piece,  while 

5i 


another  carries  it  along ;  still  another  placing  it 
on  the  arms  or  pins  at  each  upright  post,  keep- 
ing it  all  straight.  When  they  come  to  the  end 
they  pull  it  up  taut,  that  there  may  be  no  slack 
or  wrinkles  throughout  the  piece.  I  usually  put 
the  face  of  the  goods  inside  or  next  to  the  bars, 
as  it  does  not  rough  the  nap  up  so  much  as  it 
does  with  the  other  side  out. 

A  patent  tenter-hook  has  been  produced,  or 
rather  a  clothing,  which  comes  in  strips  of  ten  or 
twelve  feet,  which  consists  of  a  steel  wire  driven 
through  from  the  flat  side  and  coming  out  on  a 
bevel  of  this  strip  of  wood.  This  is  firmly 
nailed  on  to  the  bars,  and  for  durability  and  con- 
venience I  never  have  seen  its  equal.  When 
stripping  the  bars  of  the  goods,  they  come  off 
much  easier  and  are  less  liable  to  damage  the 
piece  than  the  old  style  of  hook. 

Then,  again,  one  can  tenter  about  twice  as 
fast.  One  great  inconvenience,  where  there  is 
not  work  enough  to  keep  two  men  busy  all  of 
the  time,  is  that  it  is  often  necessary  to  take  out 
most  of  the  force  in  the  wet  finishing-room. 
This  rather  demoralizes  things,  and  not  as  good 
results  are  obtained. 

The  dry-house.— I  now  have  a  large  dry-house, 
two  stories  high,  with  a  large  cupola  for  ventila- 
tion. Two  rows  of  inch-and-a-quarter  steam 
pipe  go  the  whole  length  of  the  bars.    One,  six 

52 


inches  above  the  lower  edge  of  the  cloth,  the 
other  about  twelve  above  this.  We  put  a  piece 
on  each  side  of  the  bars ;  this  encloses  the  heat. 
I  have  been  able  to  take  off  three  sets  of  pieces 
per  day.  We  run  an  independent  boiler  for 
heating,  which  enables  us  to  have  steam  and 
enough  of  it  whenever  necessary.  Two  men  do 
all  of  the  work,  and  the  production  is  about  6,000 
yards  per  week  as  6-4. 

Troubles  with  flocks.— One  disadvantage  which 
has  been  claimed  by  several  manufacturers  (al- 
though it  might  have  been  more  the  fault  of  the 
finisher),  is  that  of  drying  union  cassimeres  that 
are  flocked  heavily  and  have  more  or  less  cotton, 
mixed  with  the  wool ;  it  is  almost  impossible  to  dry 
them  fast,  or  rather  as  quick  as  they  should  be. 
On  the  drum  cylinder  dryers,  when  the  radiators 
or  coils  of  pipes  are  enclosed  within  the  drum, 
the  flocks,  dropping  from  the  goods,  soon  fill 
them  up  and  prevent  the  heat  from  escaping 
readily.  I  never  have  had  any  trouble  of  this 
kind  where  everything  was  kept  clean  and  I  had 
all  the  steam  I  wanted.  One  trouble  I  did  have 
once,  and  which  may  serve  to  keep  some  one  out 
of  difficulty,  was  the  damaging  of  the  goods  on 
the  side.  When  they  were  going  over  the 
stretchers  there  would  be  small  three-cornered 
holes  made  by  blocks.  This  I  easily  remedied 
(when  I  found  out  what  the  trouble  was)  by  setting 

53 


the  receiving  roll  just  as  close  to  the  drum  as 
possible,  then  setting  the  stretching  blocks  up  as 
close  as  possible  to  the  receiving  roll.  It  is  very 
simple  after  one  knows  how,  but  I  have  seen  many 
finishers  bothered  by  this  simple  affair.  Dry 
your  goods  as  quickly  as  possible;  do  not  let 
them  stand  and  bake,  and  I  will  guarantee  they 
will  be  just  as  good  dried  on  a  machine  as  in  the 
open  air.  Get  your  goods  clean,  and  that  will 
do  more  towards  improving  the  feeling  and  ap- 
pearance of  the  cloth  than  the  difference  in  the 
modes  of  drying. 


54 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SHEARING. 

Back-burling — The  shears — Don't  tinker  at  the 
Shears — Difficulties — Arranging  the  shears — 
Grinding,  etc. — Oiling  the  swab  frequently — 
Refusing  to  cut — Shearing  the  goods — Shearing. 

Back-burling. — Before  the  goods  are  put 
upon  the  shear,  they  should  first  be  carefully 
back-burled.  See  that  every  bunch  and  knot 
is  removed.  Do  not  take  the  burling-irons  to 
remove  them,  but  with  the  point  of  a  pair  of 
scissors,  carefully  raise  the  bunches  or  knots  and 
clip  them  off.  If  the  irons  are  used,  there  is  a 
liability  that  too  much  will  be  taken  out.  This 
only  makes  work  for  the  sewers,  and  it  is  not 
the  proper  way  to  remove  them. 

When  the  goods  are  put  on  the  shear,  care 
should  be  taken  to  make  a  good,  fine  sewing. 
The  saving  on  the  ends  will  more  than  repay  for 
the  time  it  takes  to  do  this,  and  it  will  enable  the 
attendant  to  finish  the  ends  of  the  piece  as  nicely 
as  the  middle,  whereas  if  a  poor  sewing  is  made, 
the  goods  will  be  all  streaked  for  a  yard  or  more. 

Setting  the  screws.— Set  the  screws  or  notches 
on  so  that  you  just  trim  the  nap  lightly.  On  a 
heavy-weight  piece  24  notches  are  none  too  many 

55 


to  set  off,  and  after  giving  the  piece  a  run  let 
down  two  or  three,  and  so  on,  until  they  all 
have  been  let  down.  Then  give  the  piece  five 
or  six  runs  to  smooth  it  nicely.  Of  course  any 
piece  of  goods  with  a  thin  or  short  nap,  would 
not  require  so  many  runs  ;  but  fancy  cassimeres, 
unions  and  doeskins,  that  full  from  three  to  five 
or  more  hours,  should  all  be  cut  very  slowly,  for 
then  they  look  better.  The  face  will  not  look  as 
though  half  the  nap  were  pulled  out,  and  what 
was  left  dragged  and  pressed  down  over  the 
other  colors,  looking  like  so  many  spider  legs. 
And,  moreover,  your  shears  do  not  need  grinding 
so  often ;  and  the  less  grinding  done  the  better, 
for  every  time  a  shear  is  sharpened  chances  are 
taken  of  its  getting  out  of  true. 

The  shears.— Of  all  finishing-room  machinery, 
the  shears  need  the  most  particular  attention. 
Not  only  is  it  necessary  to  have  them  started  up 
right,  but  they  require  a  constant  supervision. 
A  little  neglect  on  the  part  of  the  attendant  will 
undo  in  a  moment  that  which  will  require  hours 
to  remedy.  Neglect  to  oil  the  swabs  will  soon 
draw  the  temper  on  the  ledger  blade  or  at  least 
will  soon  rough  it  so  that  the  cutting  quality  will 
be  spoiled,  causing  them  to  rattle  and  ring.  Neg- 
lect to  oil  the  revolver-bearings  will  soon  wear 
them  out,  as  the  revolver  runs  fast,  making  from 

56 


900  to  iooo  revolutions  per  minute,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  minor  troubles,  which  will  arise  unless 
well  looked  after. 

Don't  tinker  at  the  shears.— At  the  same  time 
I  have  often  thought  that  too  much,  as  well  as  too 
little  or  not  enough,  is  frequently  done  around 
the  shears.  Some  are  never  satisfied  unless  they 
are  tinkering  half  of  the  time.  If  a  few  pieces  of 
goods  come  along  and  do  not  shear  out  perfectly 
even,  away  they  go  for  a  file,  or  a  wrench,  and 
everything  has  to  be  changed.  Not  half  of  the 
time  do  such  men  know  why  they  make  a  change, 
but  one  must  be  made,  so  they  try  this  thing  and 
that  to  see  if  it  does  not  help  the  matter.  Nine 
times  out  of  ten,  the  trouble  is  not  with  the  shears 
but  is  really  caused  by  uneven  fulling,  or  flocking, 
poor  listing,  too  tight  or  too  loose,  bad  work  on 
the  dresser,  or  by  numerous  other  things,  wThich 
cannot  be  made  right  on  the  shear,  even  if  it  be 
working  to  perfection. 

Find  the  cause  of  the  trouble.— There  are  trou- 
bles to  be  sure,  that  belong  to  the  shear,  such  as 
poor  brushes  or  when  the  brushes  are  set  uneven 
by  imperfect  friction  on  the  cloth,  the  blades  not 
cutting,  the  carriage  set  too  high  or  too  low,  the 
rest  loose,  streaks  made  by  the  brushes  being 
filled  up  with  greasy  flocks,  and  also  made  by 
rough  places  on  the  revolver  causing  the  oil  to 

57 


flow  freer  from  the  swab,  or  by  a  poor  swab,  or  un- 
even oiling  of  the  same;  also  by  an  uneven  blade. 
But  with  all  of  these  difficulties,  we  must  first  find 
the  cause.  Filing  the  rest,  or  grinding  out  the 
ledger  blade,  will  not  remedy  the  defects  made  in 
some  of  the  other  machinery,  for  should  we  fit 
the  shear  for  the  imperfection  of  some  other  ma- 
chine, when  we  did  get  a  piece  right  our  shear 
would  be  as  far  off  as  ever ;  and  we  should  again 
have  to  tinker,  to  get  it  right. 

Above  all  things,  never  file  the  rest,  as  it  is 
impossible  to  replace  that  which  has  been  removed. 
If  the  rest  be  out  of  true,  send  it  to  the  shop  and 
have  it  put  in  order.    Then  leave  it  so. 

I  admit  that  there  are  difficulties  which  will 
arise,  that  require  good  judgment  and  patience  to 
overcome  them  ;  but]  don't  have  a  "  howling'' 
shear  in  the  room. 

Arranging  the  shears.— We  must  first  take 
into  consideration,  that  every  machine  should  be 
placed  on  a  solid  foundation  and  set  perfectly 
level,  and  especially  one  that  runs  as  fine  as  a 
shear.  To  begin  with,  see  that  the  frame  sets 
solid  and  level,  that  the  brushes  rest  and  carriage 
are  level,  and  in  their  proper  place. 

We  will  suppose  that  we  go  into  a  new  shop 
and  find  that  the  shears  are  working  badly,  that 
the  ledger  blade  is  about  worn  out,  that  the  revol- 
ver or  fly  blades  are  out  of  true,  and  that  the  bear- 

58 


ings  of  the  revolver  are  badly  worn,  but  the  rest 
we  find  is  perfectly  straight  and  true.  We  first 
turn  down  the  bearings,  and  fill  the  boxes  with 
Babbit  metal.  Then  put  the  revolver  upon  a 
grinder,  traverse,  or  solid  lead  cylinder,  and  grind 
until  it  is  perfectly  true.  If  the  revolver  is  hollow 
or  smallest  in  the  middle,  set  both  ends  up 
carefully  so  that  they  just  touch,  and  grind 
slowly  until  the  hollow  place  is  reached.  Even 
then  grind  until  a  keen  edge  is  obtained  all 
along  the  revolver.  If  the  middle  should  be  the 
fullest,  set  it  up  to  the  cylinder  so  that  it  just 
touches,  being  careful  not  to  set  one  end  up 
faster  than  the  other.  Grind  until  a  keen  edge 
is  obtained  all  along. 

Then  remove  the  revolver,  and  replace  it  in 
the  bearings  of  the  carriage.  If  the  ledger  blade 
is  not  so  far  gone  that  a  new  one  is  required, 
place  this  on  the  grinder,  and  what  we  term, 
face  it,  or  make  a  new,  broad  bevel  on  the  front 
of  the  blade,  striking  back  somewhat  on  the  old 
bevel,  so  that  when  the  edge  is  reached  the  bevel 
will  not  be  so  short  as  to  prevent  a  free  operation 
of  the  cloth  between  the  rest  and  the  blade. 
Place  the  ledger  or  blade-bed  into  the  carriage, 
and  with  the  lower  middle  screw  raise  it  until 
you  have  obtained  about  the  right  pitch.  Then 
with  the  upper  middle  screw,  draw  the  blade  up 
to  the  revolver  until  it  just  touches.    Then  bring 

59 


the  ends  up  in  the  same  way,  and  tighten  the 
screws  midway  between  the  center  and  ends. 

Next  see  that  the  blade  is  parallel  with  the 
revolver,  and  nearly  up  to  the  center.  Most 
manufacturers  now  put  a  center-mark  on  the 
revolver,  so  that  it  is  quite  easy  to  set  the  blade 
even.  But  if  this  is  not  done,  center  the  boxes, 
marking  them  on  the  inside.  Then  set  them 
midway  of  the  screw  that  operates  them  up  and 
down  ;  with  a  straight  edge  or  rule  place  it  on 
the  face  of  the  blade  and  even  with  the  edge, 
extending  it  out  to  the  arm  of  the  carriage. 
Then  with  a  rule  kept  parallel  with  the  center 
line  made  on  the  box,  measure  down  to  the  rule 
on  the  blade. 

Or  take  a  try  square ;  put  the  thick  part  in 
the  box,  and  with  the  thin  edge  kept  parallel 
with  the  center  mark,  with  a  rule  on  the  upper 
edge  of  the  blade,  extend  it  out  to  the  square. 
Either  way  will  show  plainly  whether  the  blade 
is  even  to  center  or  not. 

Always  try  both  ends  and  have  them  as 
near  alike  as  possible  and  nearly  up  to  the  center 
before  starting. 

We  then  replace  the  revolver  in  the  bearings, 
screw  down  the  caps,  and  see  if  the  blades  will 
cut  dry  paper.  If  at  any  point  they  refuse  to 
cut,  tighten  up  a  trifle  on  the  upper  row  of  screws 
in  the  bed. 


60 


After  it  is  all  set  evenly,  we  shall  have  to  run 
the  revolver  backwards  a  little  to  fit  them  together 
nicely,  adding  some  flour  of  emery  and  oil. 
Be  sure  and  put  this  on  evenly.  A  piece  of  old 
belting  for  a  strop  works  well.  Be  sure  that  the 
blades  are  loose  enough  not  to  cause  any  ringing 
or  scratching  while  grinding,  as  they  will  burn 
or  draw  the  temper  very  quickly  while  this 
operation  is  being  performed ;  but  they  should 
be  gradually  set  up  together,  so  that  when  they 
are  all  ground  they  will  not  spring  apart  when 
the  nap  of  the  goods  is  pressed  into  them. 
They  should  run  at  least  one  hour  in  oil,  to  polish 
and  smooth  them,  as  they  run  much  nicer  and 
longer  by  so  doing. 

After  grinding. — After  the  grinding  has  been 
in  progress  a  short  time,  remove  the  revolver, 
and  see  if  there  is  an  even  bevel  on  the  back  of 
the  blade.  Also  see  that  the  fine  bevel  made  by 
honing  on  the  face  of  the  blade  is  not  ground  out. 
Care  should  always  be  taken  not  to  grind  this 
entirely  out,  as  the  blade  wastes  away  very  fast 
when  this  is  gone.  To  make  sure  of  this,  always 
give  it  a  few  turns  across  with  the  hone  before 
grinding,  as  it  will  brighten  it  up,  and  will  be 
more  readily  observed  while  grinding. 

If  all  is  right,  replace  the  revolver  and  pro- 
ceed until  finished.  Then  clean  all  of  the  emery 
and  oil  out  of  the  blades.    Again  rub  the  ledger 

61 


blade  carefully  with  the  hone  (or  oil  stone),  keep- 
ing the  lower  part  of  the  hone  about  an  inch  from 
the  lower  part  of  the  flat  side  of  the  blade. 
Always  when  honing  the  last  time,  run  the  hone 
straight  across,  from  one  end  to  the  other,  never 
up  and  down,  or  in  a  rolling  manner,  as  this 
destroys  an  even  keen  edge. 

After  cleaning  the  machine,  put  in  the  re- 
volver, tighten  the  cap  screws  with  the  fingers, 
and  turn  the  revolver  with  the  hand  to  cut  off 
the  wire  edges  made  by  honing.  Then  tighten 
up  the  caps,  put  on  the  swab  and  oil  it  evenly 
and  well. 

Frequent  oiling  of  the  swab.— I  would  say  here, 
that  I  always  oil  the  swab  every  time  I  put  on  a 
new  piece.  I  once  took  a  room  in  a  large  mill ; 
the  finisher  had  been  there  for  years,  but  was 
always  troubled  more  or  less  with  oil  streaks  on 
his  cloth,  and  he  did  not  oil  his  swab  more  than 
twice  or  three  times  a  day.  There  were  three 
shears,  and  it  took  almost  half  the  time  to  sharpen 
and  keep  them  in  order.  The  trouble  was 
that  they  ran  too  dry.  The  blades  when  warm 
would  expand,  running  very  tightly  together. 
They  soon  got  burnt  and  roughed  up,  and  would 
not  do  good  work.  When  I  found  time  I  went 
over  them  all  in  the  manner  I  shall  speak  of  soon. 
The  result  was  that  they  ran  four  months  con- 
tinuously on  hard  cutting  goods.    I  honed  the 

62 


ledger  blade  once  in  two  or  three  weeks.  I 
met  this  finisher  some  time  afterwards  in  my 
room.  Very  likely  some  one  told  him  of  the 
change  I  had  made.  Stepping  up  he  addressed 
me  as  follows : 

"  Mr.   ,  I  have  taken  care  of  shears  a 

good  many  years,  but  I  must  admit  that  you  can 
discount  me.  I  always  had  to  grind  once  a  week, 
two  weeks  at  the  longest,  and  they  tell  me  you 
do  not  grind  more  than  once  in  three  or  four 
months.    Will  you  please  tell  me  how  you  do  it  ?  " 

I  replied :  "  Certainly.  Your  shears  were 
well  set  up  when  I  found  them.  There  are  only 
two  things  of  any  consequence  that  I  have 
changed  about  them,  viz.: — I  cut  slow,  I  make 
my  shear  attendants  do  their  hurrying  when  they 
are  changing  their  pieces,  and  I  oil  -  the  swab, 
every  piece,  lightly,  but  evenly.  " 

He  thanked  me  and  said  that  was  where  he 
had  made  a  mistake.  I  only  speak  of  this  to  illus- 
trate the  importance  of  slow  cutting,  and  the  oil- 
ing of  the  swab  properly.  I  then  put  on  a  piece 
of  goods,  cutting  the  nap  very  slowly  at  first ;  and, 
if  the  blades,  after  running  a  short  time,  are 
inclined  to  pull,  I  draw  the  revolver  up  J  of  a 
turn  of  the  screw.  This  draws  it  a  trifle  more 
upon  the  edge  of  the  ledger. 

Refusing  to  cut.— If  after  running  a  week  or 
more  the  blade  refuses  to  cut,  press  up  all  along 

63 


the  upper  row  of  screws  in  the  bed  a  trifle. 
This  will  usually  remedy  the  trouble.  But  if, 
after  long  usage,  the  blades  become  dull,  remove 
the  revolver  from  the  boxes  and  insert  a  piece  of 
cardboard,  to  throw  the  revolver  off  from  the 
ledger  blade.  Replace  it  and  run  backwards, 
holding  the  hone  directly  on  top  and  perfectly  par- 
allel. Slowly  and  lightly  run  from  one  end  to 
the  other,  being  careful  not  to  give  one  part 
any  more  time  than  the  other,  at  the  same  time 
adding  flour  of  emery  and  oil  to  the  stone.  When 
a  keen  edge  is  obtained  clear  across,  remove  the 
cardboard,  replace  the  revolver,  setting  off  the 
ledger  blade,  by  operating  on  the  upper  tier  of 
screws,  until  it  nearly  cuts  dry  paper,  and  proceed 
as  I  have  before  stated. 

Grinding  the  revolver  with  a  hone .— I  would 
say  in  regard  to  grinding  the  revolver  with  a 
hone,  that  many  might  suppose  after  they  had 
ground  awhile  and  observed  that  the  ends  of  the 
revolver  were  sharp,  and  the  middle  was  yet  quite 
dull,  that  they  ought  to  cease  on  the  ends  and 
only  grind  in  the  middle.  But  bear  in  mind 
that  the  middle  of  the  revolver  is  always  the 
dullest  inasmuch  as  the  cloth  never  goes  to  the 
extreme  ends  of  the  blades.  Therefore  after  the 
ends  are  sharp  and  keen,  proceed  just  the  same, 
running  the  stone  to  the  extreme  end.  If  not, 
you  will  soon  have  the  revolver  out  of  true,  or 

64 


hollow  in  the  middle.  After  this  clean  and  re- 
place the  revolver,  etc.,  and  with  proper  care, 
occasionally  honing,  they  should  keep  sharp  for 
three  or  four  months,  even  with  constant  use  and 
a  little  cotton  worked  in  the  stock. 

Heating  and  scratching.— There  are  times 
when  it  seems  almost  impossible  to  keep  the 
blades  from  heating,  scratching,  or  roughing  up. 
But  if  a  close  observation  be  made,  it  will  usually 
be  found  that  the  iron  on  the  back  part  of  the 
fly  blades  is  as  high  as  the  steel.  As  it  is  much 
softer  it  rolls  or  draws  over  the  steel,  and  running 
between  the  blades  causes  them  to  rough  up  (as 
we  term  it).  When  this  is  the  case,  the  revolver 
should  either  be  sent  to  the  manafacturers  or 
placed  upon  a  planer  and  backed  off,  afterwards 
being  smoothed  with  a  fine  file,  should  there  be 
any  places  that  are  not  quite  taken  out. 

Shearing  the  goods.— In  shearing  a  piece  of 
goods  do  not  have  the  blades  too  high  or  above 
the  rest,  as  this  injures  the  cloth.  If  the  listings 
are  anyways  poor  it  will  cut  them ;  also  every 
little  knot  or  pimple  will  be  cut  off.  Draw  the 
carriage  down  so  that  wThen  the  last  notches  have 
been  dropped,  there  will  be  a  slight  tremble,  or 
jar,  on  the  cloth,  caused  by  the  revolver  touching 
it  lightly,  but  this  will  not  be  perceptible  when 
the  piece  is  finished.  This  is  for  woolens  or 
cassimeres  only  ;  for  worsteds  the  revolver  should 

65 


not  be  allowed  to  touch  the  cloth,  as  it  is  liable  to 
injure  the  threads. 

Scotch  finish  on  the  shear.— The  peculiarity  of 
the  Scotch  finish  I  have  spoken  of,  was  obtained 
on  the  shear.  The  carriage  was  drawn  down  f 
or  one  turn  of  the  screws,  from  where  fancy  cas- 
simeres  had  been  shearing.  It  being  so  low  that 
the  strike  or  tremble  on  the  goods  was  obtained, 
when  the  nap  was  y1^  of  an  inch  long,  the  revol- 
ver kept  picking  the  nap  up,  and  when  finished,  a 
thick  upright  nap  was  obtained,  perfectly  square, 
and  not  at  all  dragged  out,  as  the  brushes  were 
set  off  the  last  three  runs.  On  the  velour  finish 
the  raising  brush  should  be  set  off.  If  the  nap 
is  required  to  lie  straight,  nothing  should  be  done 
to  disturb  that  which  has  been  obtained  on  the 
gigs  ;  but  in  this  case  I  did  not  let  the  revolver 
strike  the  cloth,  as  it  was  inclined  to  disturb  the 
lay  of  the  nap,  and  make  it  curly. 

Uneven  shearing— Sometimes  pieces  that  are 
flocked  and  shrunk  considerably,  will  be  inclined 
to  shear  out  uneven,  when  it  is  known  that  the 
shear  is  perfectly  right,  and  has  been  shearing 
certain  styles  (that  have  been  treated  different)  all 
even.  I  have  at  times  remedied  this  trouble  by 
making  the  back  friction-roll  perfectly  tight ; 
that  is,  I  would  not  depend  upon  the  friction,  but 
lay,  or  cover  with  cloth,  the  delivering  roll  in 
front,  until  it  delivered  the  cloth  to  the  rest  as 
66 


fast  as  the  back  roll  took  it  away,  and  by  drop- 
ping the  carriage,  so  that  there  was  no  danger  of 
cutting  or  the  cloth  being  forced  into  the  blades, 
it  would  usually  shear  out  more  even. 

Now,  the  philosophy  of  this  is  easily  ex- 
plained. If  the  cloth  draws  tight  over  the  rest, 
the  thin  places  are  so  drawn  down  that  the  blades 
do  not  cut  the  nap  but  simply  clear  off  the  part 
that  comes  nearest  to  them ;  whereas,  if  the 
cloth  goes  over  loose,  it  is  more  liable  to  cut 
even,  as  the  heavy  places  are  usually  on  the  back, 
caused  by  more  felt  and  flock  taking  in  better. 

Tight  listings— Sometimes  the  listings  are 
dressed  and  woven  so  tight  that  the  sides  of  the 
cloth  hug  the  rest,  while  the  middle  perhaps  is 
loose  or  just  slack,  and  will  shear  out  the  quick- 
est. This  may  be  remedied  by  first  shearing  the 
middle  about  as  low  as  required ;  then  drop  J 
on  the  rest  and  J-  on  the  carriage,  letting  down 
one  or  two  notches.  This  will  shear  out  the 
opposite  side.  Then  raise  the  notches  say  5  or 
6,  and  raise  the  carriage  and  rest  \  of  a  turn  of 
the  screw.  This  will  shear  out  the  remaining 
side;  then  drop  J  on  each.  You  will  have  the 
carriage  all  even  again  for  the  next  piece.  At  the 
same  time,  goods  should  not  come  so  uneven  as 
to  oblige  you  to  resort  to  this  plan.  I  merely 
mention  these  points  so  that  in  case  it  did  happen, 
they  could,  with  a  little  care,  be  sheared  out  even. 

67 


Keep  the  shear  clean.— I  will  add  a  fourth  word 
of  advice  Keep  all  of  the  parts  well  oiled  and 
clean,  even  if  driven  with  work.  It  is  never 
economy  to  run  day  after  day  with  an  unclean 
shear. 


68 


CHAPTER  VII. 
CHINCHILLA  FINISHING. 
Peculiarities  of  the  chinchilla  finish— Methods 
of  operation — the  chinchilla  machine — setting 
the  machine — rubbers  and  followers — speeds, 

ETC. 

Peculiarities  of  this  finish —The  manipulation 
of  goods  in  the  producing  of  the  chinchilla 
finish  necessitates  a  departure  from  the  old  rules 
of  . ordinary  cassimere  finishing;  brings  into  op- 
eration some  special  machinery  ;  and  opens  up 
new  ways  to  exercise  the  judgment,  and  to  try 
the  temper  and  patience  of  the  finisher.  Two 
methods  are  employed  in  the  portion  of  the 
process  before  the  nubbing,  which  methods  are 
governed  by  the  supply  of  machinery,  the  grade 
of  goods  and  time. 

In  the  first  place,  the  fabric  should  be 
specially  designed  to  produce  the  best  effects  in 
the  finishing.  The  face  yarn  should  be  of  a 
nature  to  produce  a  full  nap;  the  weave  should 
be  smooth  and  free  from  any  pattern-effects  pro- 
duced by  the  weave;  and  the  fabric,  as  a  whole, 
should  have  no  stiffness,  but  rather  a  tendency 
towards  sponginess. 

If  the  previous  processes  have  been  intelli- 

69 


gently  manipulated,  the  fulling  (which  should 
not  be  a  very  lengthy  process),  will  leave  the 
goods  well  felted,  yet  with  an  absence  of  hard- 
ness or  stiffness.  Where  the  goods  are  wool- 
dyed,  the  usual  care  has  to  be  taken  to  keep 
the  colors  good,  as  every  finisher  understands. 
We  will  take  the  goods  of  the  class  named,  and 
"  put  a  piece  through.  " 

Methods  of  operation  —After  fulling  and  wash- 
ing, it  should  be  freed  from  wrinkles  so  as  to 
avoid  any  appearance  of  streaks  due  to  gigging. 
Gig  thoroughly:  the  writer  approves  of  double 
cylinder  gigs  as  producing  the  best  results,  and 
all  the  time  should  be  occupied  that  the  quality 
of  goods  and  amount  of  machinery  will  admit  of. 

Should  the  conditions  admit  of  it,  the  piece 
should  be  cropped,  the  nap  straightened,  and 
then  dried  in  whatever  manner  the  equipment  of 
the  room  provides  for.  After  drying,  the  nap 
should  be  softened  up,  and  then  it  is  sheared. 

Right  here  appears  a  variation  from  the 
usual  method  as  regards  this  process,  in  which, 
instead  of  the  ordinary  raising  brush,  a  wire 
brush  is  substituted  which  more  thoroughly  and 
evenly  raises  the  nap.  When  the  required  close- 
ness of  shearing  has  been  attained,  one  or  two 
runs  are  given  with  laying  brush  off,  after  which 
it  is  ready  for  the  nubbing  or  frizzing  machine. 

At  this  point,  we  will  retrace  our  steps  and 


70 


show  wherein  a  variation  from  the  above  method 
takes  place,  and  also  introduce  a  machine  which 
plays  an  important  part,  or  can  be  made  to  do  so. 
After  the  gigging  process,  the  piece  may  be 
cropped — supposing  that  we  are  going  to  handle 
it  this  way — then  the  nap  straightened,  after 
which  it  is  run  through  a  "  whipper,"  face  down 
and  "  whipped"  on  the  back,  which  process  pro- 
duces an  erect  position  of  the  nap;  after  which, 
the  piece  must  be  dried  as  quickly  as  possible, 
and  the  finisher  must  avoid  as  much  as  possible 
matting  the  nap  down.  After  drying,  the  piece 
may  be  sheared  as  before  mentioned,  and  taken 
to  chinchilla  machine. 

There  are  different  makes  of  machines  which 
are  capable  of  producing  good  work.  Each  kind 
has  its  admirers ;  but  where  a  man  takes  charge 
of  a  room  to  finish  this  class  of  goods,  he  takes 
what  machinery  he  finds  in  the  room  and  gets 
all  the  good  he  can  out  of  it.  The  writer,  of 
course,  has  a  preference. 

The  chinchilla  machine.— The  chinchilla  ma- 
chine is  one  having  an  oblong  surface  about  two 
feet  wide  by  five  feet  long,  placed  in  a  frame  about 
three  feet  from  the  floor,  over  which  the  cloth 
passes  very  slowly  face  upward.  Over  this  is  a 
strong  cast-iron  "  follower  "  of  about  the  same  size 
and  shape  of  the  "bed,"  through  each  end  of 
which  an  upright  shaft  passes  and  is  movable 


7i 


up  and  down  by  means  of  a  handle.  On  the 
under  side  of  this  "follower"  is  a  plate  of  solid 
rubber  securely  fastened  to  it,  which,  on  being 
lowered,  rests  on  the  face  of  the  cloth.  On  the 
upright  shafts  is  a  mechanism  for  producing  a 
rotary  motion  to  the"  follower  "  which  rubs  on  the 
cloth,  twisting  the  nap  into  spiral  points.  Other 
mechanism  is  also  provided  to  transform  the 
rotary  to  a  reciprocal  motion,  either  forward  and 
backward,  from  side  to  side,  or  diagonally.  The 
upright  shafts  are  geared  to  the  main  shaft  which 
passes  through  lower  part  of  machine,  and  which 
receives  motion  from  main  or  counter-shaft  by 
means  of  a  belt.  The  rotary  mechanism  is  capa- 
ble of  being  increased  or  diminished,  thereby 
varying  the  "  sweep." 

Setting  of  the  machine. — The  setting  of  the 
machine  is,  like  the  rest  of  the  different  processes 
of  finishing,  dependent  more  on  judgment  than 
upon  any  arbitrary  rule  that  can  be  advanced  as 
sure;  but  the  amount  of  "  sweep"  should  not,  in 
the  opinion  of  the  writer,  be  excessive.  The 
pressure  of  the  "follower"  on  the  cloth  is  also 
a  matter  on  which  the  judgment  must  be  exer- 
cised. 

It  is  important  that  the  rubbing  material  be 
kept  free  from  any  tendency  to  gum  up  and  glaze. 
The  writer  has  taken  the  "  follower "  from  its 
position  at  intervals  of  a  week,  and  with  a  mod- 

72 


erately  rough  substance  removed  any  accumu- 
lated grease  or  glaze. 

Rubbers  and  followers— It  is  of  great  import- 
ance that  the  surface  of  the  rubber  be  absolutely 
true.  If  not  true,  it  may  be  due  to  the  wood  which 
forms  the  back  being  warped,  which  if  the  case, 
the  rubber  must  be  removed  and  the  surface 
planed.  The  same  also  applies  to  the  bottom 
surface,  which  is  covered  with  a  good  grade  of 
Brussels  or  velvet  carpet.  All  tendency  on  the 
part  of  the  "  follower  "  to  depart  from  the  motion 
required  to  produce  the  finish  and  effect  desired, 
should  be  reduced  to  a  minimum  ;  such  as  when 
a  "Whitney"  finish  is  being  produced,  the  ten- 
dency to  describe  a  round  motion  should  be 
checked,  and  the  motion  be  directed  in  a  straight 
line.  The  same  with  the  "  Petersham  "  or  round 
motion  ;  the  motion  should  be  round  and  not 
elliptic. 

Speed  of  the  main  shaft— The  speed  of  the 
main  shaft  of  machine  should  be  not  over  145 
turns  a  minute,  which  will  produce  a  speed  of 
the  rubber  of  about  500  turns.  Fine  goods  have 
been  run  through  the  machine  once,  leaving  (on 
Petershams)  a  spiral  nub,  taken  to  shear,  cropped, 
and  put  through  a  second  time. 

Cheaper  grades  have  been  treated  as  before, 
only  omitting  second  nubbing.  There  are  other 
effects  which  can  be  produced,  such  as  a  rolling 

73 


up  of  the  nap  caused  by  a  cross  motion  of  the 
machine  operating  on  long  napped  goods,  diag- 
onal effects,  etc.  The  chinchilla  machine  is  used 
to  good  advantage  on  goods  with  a  woven  pat- 
tern, on  what  are  termed  "cut  beavers,"  where 
there  are  certain  threads  which  are  cut  off  in  the 
gigging  process,  thereby  developing  the  pattern, 
the  machine  bringing  up  more  distinctly  the  cord, 
rib,  diagonal,  or  any  of  the  numerous  patterns 
which  have  been  produced.  From  the  machine, 
the  transit  to  the  roll  should  be  as  brief  as  is 
possible;  and  while  awaiting  shipment  the  rolls 
should  be  stood  on  end,  and  avoid  crowding  in 
case. 

The  writer  in  the  above  brief  sketch  has 
endeavored  to  give  an  idea  of  a  process  which 
has  stood  the  test  of  experience;  but  to  lay  out 
any  line  of  details,  or  to  give  any  rules  to  govern 
one  is  impossible,  for  the  intelligent  finisher  well 
knows  that  his  experience  and  success  are  due 
to  careful  study  of  conditions,  and  his  observation 
of  effects  and  their  causes.  Good  success  can  be 
obtained  without  the  use  of  the  "  whipper,"  but 
probably  the  use  of  one  will  produce  the  best 
effect. 


74 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
INSPECTING  AND  PRESSING. 
Inspecting  the  fabric — Specking  or  fine  burling 
— Sewing  or  fine  drawing — Pressing  the  goods 
—  Differences  in  pressing  —  Inspection  —  The 
perch — Shading  with  sample — Finishing-room 
book  and  how  to  keep  it. 

Inspecting. — After  the  goods  have  been 
sheared,  we  have  the  first  opportunity  to  inspect 
them  thoroughly,  and  to  see  if  all  has  been  done 
right  since  they  left  the  looms ;  for  there  are 
many  things  in  the  weaving  that  do  not  show 
until  the  fabric  is  finished,  and  should  be  re- 
ported at  once.  There  are  also  many  things  in 
the  finishing,  which,  for  the  first  time,  we 
have  a  chance  to  detect,  such  as  improper 
attention  in  the  mills,  in  the  gigs,  the  cloths 
not  stretched  and  dried  properly,  and  still 
further  back,  not  burled  and  sewed  as  they 
might  have  been.  We  certainly  should  avail 
ourselves  of  this  opportunity,  and  carefully  in- 
spect the  goods  over  a  perch,  comparing  with 
the  original  samples  for  colors,  finish,  etc.  Should 
we  find  any  troubles  arising  from  any  negligence 
of  the  operatives  or  machinery,  see  to  it  at  once. 
If  we  have  been  keeping  a  correct  account  of  the 

75 


gigging,  fulling,  etc.,  and  have  been  obliged  to 
'make  changes  ;  if  we  have  noted  these  changes 
on  the  books,  which  should  be  kept  at  each  point 
of  the  work,  we  shall  know  at  once  what  it  is 
that  has  caused  a  change  in  the  finish. 

For  instance,  we  may  have  a  certain  style 
coming  along,  that  we  think  may  be  improved 
by  shrinking  a  little  more,  or  perhaps  they  have 
been  unable  to  put  in  the  number  of  picks  that 
there  should  be,  on  account  of  poor  work,  or 
they  are  coming  too  light,  or  a  trifle  too  heavy. 
If  this  is  noted  on  the  fulling  book,  we  shall  be  able 
to  refer  back,  and  see  what  has  caused  a  change 
in  the  appearance  of  the  goods.  It  saves  time  if 
notes  have  been  made  of  the  changes  as  we  go 
along  from  one  machine  to  the  other.  It  is 
always  bad  enough  to  have  accidents  and 
mistakes  happen,  but  it  is  much  worse  to  have 
goods  damaged,  and  not  to  know  how,  when  or 
where  this  was  done. 

After  pulling  over  the  perch  carefully,  the 
goods  are  ready  for  the  speckers. 

Specking  or  fine  burling.— Much  depends  on 
what  is  to  be  taken  out  or  covered  up,  and  how 
we  shall  proceed  in  this.  If  the  goods  are  full 
of  wool-specks,  they  should  be  removed  with 
the  burling  irons ;  also  the  large  burs,  etc., 
should  be  removed  in  this  way  ;  but  cotton-speck, 
small  burs  or  shives  can  successfully  be  covered 

76 


with  a  dotting-ink  or  bur-dye,  which  is  better 
than  picking  them  out,  as  the  speckers  are  liable 
to  injure  the  threads  ;  and  on  light  weights  espe- 
cially, there  will  be  small  holes  left  by  specking 
with  the  irons.  Even  when  the  ink  or  dye  is  used, 
care  must  be  taken  not  to  get  on  too  much  or 
the  cloth  will  be  spotted.  In  inking,  use  a  well- 
sharpened,  hard-wood  stick.  Let  each  specker 
have  a  needle,  with  some  light-colored  yarn  or 
thread,  and  mark  each  imperfection  that  is  found 
by  sewing  the  thread  near  it,  leaving  the  end  out 
long.  By  so  doing  the  fine  drawers  can  spend 
their  time  fixing  the  imperfections,  instead  of 
searching  for  them.  Keep  each  specker's  work 
in  a  book,  so  that  any  bad  work  can  be  located. 
Also  add  it  up  at  the  end  of  the  week,  to  see  if 
this  part  is  being  kept  up,  and  that  each  specker 
is  doing  a  fair  proportion  of  the  work. 

Sewing. — The  sewer's  or  fine  drawer's  business 
is  carefully  to  inspect  the  cloth,  replacing  or  sewing 
all  that  is  possible.  A  skillful  hand  at  this  work 
can  often  more  than  save  her  wages  in  about  30 
minutes.  Small  threads  left  out  by  the  other 
sewers,  little  imperfections  made  in  the  weaving  or 
the  finishing,  coarse  threads,  imperfect  twist, 
should  all  be  mended  nicely  at  this  point,  as  it  can 
be  done  much  better  before  pressing  than  after. 
I  have  always  had  the  best  results  by  using 
yarns  taken  from  the  goods  we  were  at  work  upon. 

77 


If  the  yarns  are  not  washed,  they  surely  will 
not  shade  alike ;  and  many  times  the  other 
colors  have  some  influence  in  changing  the 
shade,  so  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  wash  by 
hand  the  yarns  and  have  them  the  same  as  in  the 
piece.  I  therefore  cut  off  an  eighth  or  a  quarter  of 
a  yard,  or  take  a  small  strip  off  the  side,  saving 
it  to  mend  others  that  may  be  coming  along,  of 
like  colors. 

After  carefully  looking  the  face  over,  pull 
them  back  over  the  perch  and  through  light, 
closing  all  small  holes  or  light  places,  either  on 
the  face  or  on  the  back.  It  is  impossible  to  give 
any  more  information  in  regard  to  sewing. 
Always  have,  if  possible,  a  first-class  workman. 
After  leaving  the  perch,  the  goods  should  be 
brushed  clean  on  the  back  and  face,  and  then 
they  are  ready  for  pressing. 

Pressing.— This  part  of  the  work  is  very  es- 
sential, but  not  so  difficult  to  manage  as  the 
shearing,  since  we  now  have  the  improved  rotary 
presses.  With  the  old-style  press  it  is  more 
tedious  than  complicated  to  have  to  paper  up  all 
of  the  cloth,  and  to  lay  up  with  warm  plates. 
Then  three  or  four  men  had  to  take  hold  of  the  bar 
and  work  for  ten  or  twenty  minutes  turning 
it  down.  Even  with  the  hydraulic  presses  the 
cloth  has  to  be  papered  sometimes  twice,  as  in 
the  old  screw  press,  to  avoid  the  folds  made  by 

78 


the  papers  on  the  edge  of  them.  This  is  now 
done  away  with.  There  may  be  a  few  that  have 
not  made  improvements,  but  a  man  would  see 
that  if  he  only  intended  to  run  his  mill  two  years, 
he  would  save  money  and  do  the  work  better. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  dwell  upon  the 
use  of  the  old  style  press.  Neither  can  much 
be  said  of  the  new ;  it  is  so  simple  and  practi- 
cable that  a  boy  is  able  to  do  the  work,  where 
before  it  has  taken  two  or  three  men.  If  any- 
thing breaks  about  the  machine,  which  seldom 
happens,  it  can  easily  be  fixed  or  sent  to  the  man- 
ufacturers for  repairs.  The  "  Gessner  Press,"  I 
think,  is  the  best  for  all  purposes,  and  considered 
as  the  most  efficient  by  all  practical  men. 

Differences  in  pressing. — If  I  had  a  cheviot 
finish  or  anything  similar,  I  always  pressed  them 
face  to  the  cylinder ;  but  fancy  cassimeres,  wor- 
steds, etc.,  with  the  face  to  the  bed,  and  for  these 
reasons  :  With  the  face  next  to  the  roll,  the  curl 
to  the  nap  was  not  disturbed  or  dragged  out,  but 
with  the  nap  cut  close  and  nothing  to  disturb  it, 
I  could  get  more  luster  the  other  way.  Either 
way,  I  always  try  to  put  the  most  pressing  on  the 
back,  by  having  the  pressure  on  the  back  the 
warmest.  It  does  not  leave  the  fabric  so  harsh, 
dry  and  crispy,  but  helps  give  it  the  cool,  damp 
feeling  which  is  always  desirable.  The  goods 
should  be  well  dry-steamed,  and  put  upon  a  roll 
and  let  lie  there  until  they  are  perfectly  cool 

79 


before  being  removed.  Put  them  into  a  rack. 
Never  pile  them  up,  or  let  them  lie  on  the  floor. 

Inspecting.— At  this  point  of  the  work  a  good, 
capable  man  should  be  employed,  one  that  can 
be  depended  upon.  A  few  strokes  of  the  pen  or 
pencil,  crayons,  etc.,  will  save  many  dollars.  In 
a  small  room  the  finisher  might  find  time  to  do 
this,but  in  a  10  to  15  set  mill  he  will  have  business 
enough  without  being  tied  to  the  perch.  An 
inspector,  with  an  assistant,  should  be  able 
carefully  to  look  over  all  the  goods,  measure 
them,  keep  the  books,  shade,  roll  and  case  up 
for  a  10  or  12  set  mill  on  fancy  cassimeres. 

The  best  light  that  can  be  obtained  should 
be  used ;  also  all  of  the  conveniences  procurable, 
as  this  is  the  last  time  we  shall  be  able  to  inspect 
the  goods  before  they  go  to  market. 

A  few  years  ago  it  was  not  necessary  to 
take  so  much  care.  The  goods  were  usually 
pulled  over  a  table,  measured  and  inspected,  and 
a  sample  laid  on  to  see  if  they  were  of  the  right 
style  before  putting  on  a  ticket.  But  those  times 
have  gone  by,  and  everything  is  being  done  to 
make  the  goods  as  nearly  perfect  as  possible. 

The  perch. — The  best  way  to  inspect  goods  is 
to  pull  them  over  a  perch.  Have  it  as  high  as 
possible,  for  a  much  better  view  can  be  obtained. 
Have  a  board  covered  with  zinc,  to  make  a  good, 
smooth  surface,  directly  back  of  the  cloth,  about 

80 


as  high  up  as  convenient  to  work  upon.  Below 
have  a  box  to  pull  the  cloth  into,  to  keep  it  off 
the  floor,  or  it  may  be  run  upon  a  roll  again,  it 
being  very  easy  to  apply  power  from  below  and 
have  a  lever  to  operate  on  with  the  foot ;  but  it 
is  just  as  well  to  pull  them  into  a  box  and  pull 
them  over  the  table,  measuring  and  rolling  at 
the  same  time. 

In  order  to  have  some  system  about  the 
work,  those  goods  that  are  measured  to-day, 
leave  on  the.  rolls  in  the  rack  until  to-morrow 
morning.  Unroll  and  at  the  same  time  fold  them 
(if  they  are  f-  goods),  then  roll  them  upon  a 
board  and  place  on  the  table,  putting  all  of  the 
same  style  together.  Unroll  the  ends  about 
a  yard,  and  lay  them  over  the  end  of  the  pieces 
in  layers  or  folds.  Then  place  the  original 
sample  on  them  and  see  how  near  they  match, 
or  shade. 

Shading  with  sample —If  buyers  purchase  a 
case  of  goods,  they  expect  that  every  piece  shall 
shade  with  the  sample.  They  have  no  idea  how 
difficult  this  is,  neither  do  they  care.  If  they 
have  got  a  bargain,  they  will  not  often  think  or 
be  so  critical  about  the  shade  ;  but  this  makes 
no  difference.  The  manufacturer  that  can  best 
please  his  customers  is  the  one  that  will  get 
along  best.  Now  it  is  almost  impossible  to  make 
every  piece  look  alike,  and  the  man  that  invented 

81 


the  cutting  machine,  where  from  one  to  a  dozen 
thicknesses  of  cloth  are  cut  at  once,  has  done  as 
much  to  cause  unhappiness  for  the  finishers  as 
the  dull  trade  has. 

But  we  must  do  something  to  remedy  this 
trouble.  A,  B  and  C  each  want  10  pieces  of  a 
certain  style.  We  shade  the  pieces  with  the 
original,  and  find  that  they  are  not  all  alike ;  that 
perhaps  six  pieces  shade  all  right,  but  two  are 
off  shade,  but  not  very  bad.  We  will  cut  off 
a  sample  from  one  of  the  two  and  mark  it  TY 
(one-tenth)  or  thus,  "Style  748 V  Next  morn- 
ing when  we  shade  up  this  style  we  may  find 
some  of  each,  that  is,  of  748  and  748 1.  Perhaps 
another  piece  may  come  along  that  does  not 
shade  with  either  sample.  We  then  should  have 
to  call  it  7482,  cutting  a  sample  off  as  before. 
Now,  if  A  gets  10  pieces  of  748 l,  he  will  not 
usually  find  much  fault;  but  if  he  gets  some  of 
each,  he  has  reason  to  complain.  In  a  lot  of  30 
pieces,  there  would  not  likely  be  more  than  two 
or  three  shades  at  the  most; -and  when  a  cus- 
tomer wants  5  or  6  pieces,  there  should  not  be 
much  trouble  in  giving  them  to  him  all  alike  by 
this  system. 

I  have  been  successful  with  it,  and  never 
have  had  any  serious  claims  for  not  shading 
together.  I  also  know  of  many  others  who  fol- 
low it. 


82 


After  shading,  box  and  invoice  if  packed 
endwise.  If  laid  down  flat  in  the  box,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  invoice  first. 

Finishing-room  book.— It  is  very  essential  to 
keep  an  account  book,  or  what  we  term  the 


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33 


"  finishing-room  book/'  one  which  covers  the 
weaving  account  as  well  as  the  finishing.  I  will 
give  a  form  of  a  very  simple  and  convenient  book. 
The  numbers  of  the  pieces  are  put  on  in  the 
weave-room,  and  the  same  are  used  for  the 
finishing-room  on  the  tickets. 

They  may  not  come  along  in  rotation,  but 
can  be  filled  in  as  fast  as  they  are  measured  up. 
We  shall  be  able  to  tell  at  a  glance  whether  we 
have  a  piece  of  a  new  lot  of  yarn ;  whether  the 
imperfections  have  been  discovered  in  the  weave- 
room  ;  how  they  hold  out  for  length,  etc. 


84 


CHAPTER  IX. 


WHY  GOODS  DO  NOT  FINISH  ALIKE. 

Variations  in  the  filling — Oils  used  upon  the 
stock — Twist  in  the  yarns — Wrong  shades  in 
the  dye-house — differences  in  fulling — varia- 
tions in  the  gigging  and  shearing. 

Differences  in  finish— There  are  so  many  rea- 
sons why  woolen  goods  do  not  finish  alike,  and 
look  alike  when  finished,  even  when  they  are 
of  precisely  the  same  style,  that  it  is  almost 
impossible,  at  times,  to  tell  just  what  the  trouble 
is.  There  is  likely  to  be  less  difficulty  on  black, 
or  even  fancy,  worsted  than  on  fancy  cassimeres, 
as  the  former  do  not  have  to  go  through  so  long 
a  process  in  finishing.  At  least,  they  escape  the 
fulling  mills,  which  do  more  to  change  a  piece 
of  cassimere  than  any  other  machinery  in  the 
room. 

In  the  finishing-room —Usually,  the  first  place 
in  which  to  look  after  any  trouble  of  this  kind  is 
the  finishing-room.  Those  that  have  an  over- 
sight of  the  work  before  it  gets  to  this  depart- 
ment, are  generally  positive  that  they  have  made 
forty  or  fifty  pieces  so  exactly  alike  that  there 
can  be  no  difference  in  the  stock,  or  in  the  way 
in  which  they  are  woven.    Stop  for  a  moment, 

85 


and  see  how  easy  it  is  to  have  two  lots  of  filling 
— especially  black,  and  of  the  same  stock — vary, 
for  some  reason,  a  quarter  or  half  a  run  in  size. 
We  are  in  a  hurry  for  this  particular  style.  It 
is  ordered  into  the  goods.  (I  have  known  this 
to  happen.)  When  finished  they  do  not  look 
alike.  At  the  same  time,  the  finisher  cannot  tell 
why  this  is  so.  How  often  does  the  superintend- 
ent tell  him  what  it  is  that  makes  the  trouble ! 
He  may  not  be  to  blame ;  but,  at  the  same  time, 
these  little  vexations  are  a  source  of  much 
inconvenience. 

A  supposed  case. — Without  any  doubt,  seven 
times  out  of  ten  the  trouble  of  "off  shades  "  is 
caused  in  the  finishing-room.  But  we  will  first 
go  outside  of  this  department  and  see  if  we  can 
find  any  difficulties  that  may  have  a  bearing  on 
the  case.  We  will  take  good,  clean,  all-wool 
stock  and  make  a  hundred  pieces,  or  thirty-two 
hundred  yards,  of  a  certain  style.  Fifty  of  these 
must  be  put  through  the  works  immediately,  to 
fill  early  orders.  The  others  we  can  put  in  a 
month  or  two  later,  inasmuch  as  we  have  other 
styles  to  fill  in  with,  to  keep  the  works  moving. 
We  are  "  driven  up,"  and  it  is  impossible  to 
color  and  card  the  whole  lot  at  once ;  or,  even  if 
colored,  the  stock  for  the  fifty  pieces  may  lie 
around  quite  a  length  of  time. 

Now,  there  is  one  trouble  that  may  arise 

86 


from  this.  If  the  filling  is  colored  black,  and 
not  done  properly,  the  longer  it  lies,  the  more 
tender  it  will  get.  I  have  seen  nice,  strong,  clean 
wool,  good  staple,  etc.,  after  being  colored  and 
put  in  the  stock-house  two  months,  taken  out  as 
tender  and  soft  as  pulp.  If  this  went  immediately 
through  the  works,  it  would  probably  not  be 
noticed.  At  the  same  time,  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  finish  these  two  lots  alike.  They  would 
not  take  the  same  gigging.  If  so,  one  must 
come  out  tender ;  and  this  would  never  do. 

Oiled  stock— Then  again,  when  the  stock  is 
oiled,  and  lies  around,  no  matter  whether  in  the 
yarns  or  any  other  condition,  the  goods  do  not 
work  as  well  in  the  mill  as  those  that  have  come 
directly  through. 

I  have  known  of  tests  being  made  of  oils  by 
putting  through  a  small  lot  of  stock  or  goods 
that  would  work  first-rate.  It  would  be  adopted, 
and  in  six  months  the  mill  was  completely  bunged 
up.  The  cards  were  so  badly  gummed  that  it 
was  impossible  to  get  good  work.  The  finisher 
had  made  numerous  second-quality  pieces,  full 
of  splits,  unclean,  uneven  or  cockly.  All  the 
finisher  could  do  was  to  use  an  excessive  alkali 
to  cut  this  gummy  substance,  and  this  had  a 
bad  effect  on  the  colors.  Again,  off  shades 
were  made. 

Variations  in  yarns— Many  times,  when  the 
87 


superintendent  gives  his  orders  for  yarns  to  be 
spun  a  certain  size,  the  spinner  finds,  with  the 
stock  which  has  been  given  him,  an  utter  im- 
possibility to  spin  so  fine.  The  result  is  heavier 
yarns. 

More  or  less  twist  in  the  yarns  also  has  a 
bearing  on  the  finishing.  I  have  seen  the  same 
stock,  sorted  by  the  same  sorter,  but  dyed, 
carded,  spun  and  woven  in  different  mills,  then 
finished  by  the  same  finisher,  and  pieces  from 
one  would  full  two  hours  longer  than  the  other 
(the  same  style  at  that).  I  have  also  seen  stock 
taken  from  the  same  bin  in  the  wool-room  and 
treated  as  above.  One  mill  would  give  perfectly 
strong  cloth ;  the  other  was  as  tender  as  paper 
pulp,  dry,  harsh  and  crispy.  Would  any  one 
question  why  goods  do  not  finish  alike,  with  such 
difficulties  as  these  ?  There  must  be  a  fault 
somewhere.  In  this  case,  it  was  in  coloring  the 
wool.  Sulphuric  acid  is  all  right  in  its  place, 
but  too  much  of  it  makes  bad  work. 

This  covers  the  difference  in  workmen  of 
different  departments  before  the  finishing.  There- 
fore, it  is  not  impossible  that  there  be  a  difference 
under  one  man's  management.  Different  card- 
ing and  spinning  machinery,  tops  and  bottoms  of 
the  finishers  in  the  card-room — all  of  these  points 
have  their  bearing  upon  the  results  in  the 
finishing. 

88 


Oils  andoiling. — Oilingthe  stock  for  the  cards, 
and  the  kind  of  oils  used,  are  very  essential 
matters.  Care  should  be  taken  to  use  only 
the  best.  There  is  nothing  saved,  and  many 
times  is  a  great  loss,  by  using  a  cheap  or  an  in- 
ferior article.  To  illustrate  this  :  I  once  had  some 
fine  all-wool  cassimeres.  I  had  my  soaps  all 
regulated  on  my  selling  samples,  and  was  run- 
ning safely,  or  just  strong  enough  to  start  the 
grease  and  still  preserve  my  colors.  Everything 
worked  nicely  in  the  mills  for  a  month  or  two, 
when,  all  at  once,  I  began  to  have  cockly  goods. 
They  were  uneven,  and  in  places  the  grease  did 
not  start.  The  cockles  were  not  confined  to  a 
single  bobbin,  but  were  perhaps  from  half  a 
dozen  to  a  dozen  where  the  grease  did  not  start. 
They  did  not  look  as  though  they  were  made  in 
the  weave-room.  This  trouble  was  at  once  placed 
in  the  finishing-room.  As  there  had  been  no  change 
whatever  in  the  stock,  I  overcame  the  difficulty 
with  strong  soaps  in  the  fulling  mills,  so  as  to 
start  the  hard  places  at  once,  that  they  might 
commence  fulling  and  felting  with  the  rest  of 
the  piece. 

After  this  had  been  accomplished,  the  super- 
intendent told  me  that  they  had  bought  a  job- 
lot  of  oil  alleged  to  be  the  same  as  that  they  had 
been  using.  Inasmuch  as  it  could  be  bought 
20  per  cei\-t.  c}iea-p,er,  they  .considered  ,ic  ajb«pgajn| 

89 


It  was — to  the  man  that  sold  to  them.  It  was 
an  inferior  lot,  and  the  result  was  that  the  yarns 
got  mixed  with  new  and  old  oil.  One  started 
well ;  the  other  did  not.  Why  did  not  these 
goods  match  the  selling  samples  ?  Why  did  they 
not  finish  like  or  with  the  goods  that  came  around 
for  the  first  month  or  two  ?  The  superintendent 
could  conscientiously  say  that  the  stock  was  the 
same,  and  that  he  was  doing  just  as  he  had  been 
at  first,  and  that  the  fault  must  be  in  the  finish- 
ing. At  the  same  time,  that  did  not  help  the 
matter  any. 

The  colors— One  more  trouble  which  I  wish 
to  speak  of  before  I  commence  to  find  fault  with 
the  finishing-room,  is  in  regard  to  colors.  How 
easy  it  is  to  get  wrong  shades  from  the  dye- 
house  !  I  had  taken  particular  care  to  get  outa  line 
of  selling  samples,  and  they  were  pronounced  A 
No.  I  for  design,  fabric,  finish  and  colors.  Many 
of  the  styles  were  ordered  into  the  works,  and 
all  were  coming  out  first-rate,  matching  or  shad- 
ing with  samples.  I  was  positive  just  how  long 
each  and  every  piece  fulled ;  how  strong  both 
fulling  and  scouring  soaps  were;  just  how  they 
were  gigged  and  generally  treated.  All  at  once, 
one  particular  style  came  wrong.  There  was 
considerable  green  (of  a  dark  shade)  in  the  filling. 
It  was  all  turned  to  a  yellow.  The  finisher  must 
be  to  blame  tfifs  time.    The  superintendent  was 

9° 


positive  that  it  was  the  same  lot  that  the  sample 
was  made  from. 

The  dyer  was  positive  that  this  same  color, 
made  in  exactly  the  same  way,  was  being  used 
by  numerous  mills  successfully.  The  agent  and 
owners  were  convinced  that  it  must  be  in  the 
finishing;  and  things  began  to  look  rather  inter- 
esting for  the  finisher.  There  were  four  or  five 
to  one,  and  all  as  positive  as  he  was  that  they 
were  right. 

As  soon  as  the  goods  were  sheared,  I  in- 
spected them  carefully  over  a  perch,  and  after 
looking  over  several,  I  came  across  one  in  which 
the  colors  were  all  right  for  three  or  four  yards 
on  the  end  of  the  piece ;  then  a  few  yards  were 
wrong  ;  then  there  would  be  a  few  bobbins  right; 
then  pick-and-pick  alternately  (the  green  was 
woven  on  two  shuttles),  and  so  on  throughout  the 
piece. 

This  was  the  evidence  I  was  looking  for, 
but  had  hardly  expected  to  find.  The  green  in 
the  goods  was  not  made  the  same  as  that  in  the 
samples,  and  was  not  properly  colored,  or  it 
never  would  have  turned  as  it  did  with  the 
treatment  it  received  in  the  finishing.  In  fact,  it 
was  proved  by  getting  another  lot  around  claimed 
to  be  colored  the  same  way,  which  came  out  all 
right  with  the  same  treatment. 

I  have  mentioned  these  facts  to  show  that 


91 


even  before  the  goods  or  stock  have  been  started 
twenty-four  hours,  something  may  occur  that  has 
a  bearing  upon  finishing  them  all  alike ;  and  no 
matter  how  positive  we  are  that  everything  is 
right  and  made  exactly  the  same,  we  are  liable 
to  be  mistaken.  And  little  things  will  occur  that 
have  a  very  important  bearing  upon  finishing 
forty  or  fifty  pieces  of  cassimere  so  that  they  all 
finish  alike,  and  shade  alike  when  finished. 

Various  causes  of  difference.— There  are  many 
times  when  a  finisher  thinks  that  he  has  every- 
thing all  right,  and  sees  no  reason  why  every 
piece  should  not  come  out  exactly  alike,  when  in 
fact,  by  some  negligence  on  the  part  of  his  help, 
they  are  not  all  being  treated  exactly  alike,  or 
near  enough  to  look  alike  when  finished. 

For  instance,  we  will  put  two  pieces  in  the 
fulling  mills,  one  on  each  side.  There  may  be 
two  or  three  yards  difference  in  the  length.  If 
the  same  amount  of  soap  be  used  on  each  piece, 
the  short  one  must  have  the  most.  If  one  piece 
is  exceedingly  wet,  and  the  other  just  moist 
enough  to  full  and  felt  properly,  this  must  make 
a  difference.  Or  if  one  fulls  from  a  half  hour  to 
an  hour  longer  than  the  other ;  or  if  one  is  taken 
out  54  inches  and  the  other  inches  width, 
even  if  both  are  stretched  out  the  same  on  the  dry- 
ing machine,  there  must  be  a  difference.  If  one 
piece  has  the  picks  put  in  oft  the  loom,  and  the 


92 


other  in  the  fulling  mill ;  if  there  is  more  friction 
on  one  side  of  the  mill  than  on  the  other,  or  if 
one  side  heats  more  than  the  other;  or  even 
take  separate  mills  and  let  any  of  the  above 
conditions  occur,  they  are  not  being  treated 
exactly  alike,  and  there  is  a  chance  for  variations 
in  the  shade. 

Changes  in  the  soaps  will,  of  course,  have  a 
very  decided  effect.  A  piece  of  goods  fulled  in 
a  perfectly  neutral  soap,  and  one  in  a  fair  alkali, 
will  not  look  alike.  Leaving  aside  colors,  they 
hardly  look  as  though  they  were  made  from  the 
same  stock.  The  piece  fulled  in  neutral  will  be 
firmer,  more  even  on  the  face,  and  not  so  dry 
and  crispy  as  the  other. 

If  one  piece  is  light  in  weight,  and  has  to  be 
flocked,  there  is  a  difference.  With  the  scour- 
ing, if  one  set  runs  20  minutes,  the  other  30, 
they  are  not  being  treated  alike.  Or  if  one  is 
washed  with  warm  water,  the  other  with  cold, 
we  are  again  running  chances.  Or  a  variation  to 
any  great  extent  in  the  rinsing  with  cold  water 
will  be  noticed. 

Variations  in  the  gigging  by  having  the 
pieces  too  wet  or  too  dry ;  some  sets  done  with 
old  teasels,  others  with  new  or  sharp  ones  in  the 
cylinders,  must  have  an  effect  later  on.  The 
same  with  the  shearing.  Any  difference  in  the 
nap  or  length  of  it;  whether    cut  evenly  or 

93 


pulled  out ;  whether  the  revolver  strikes  hard  on 
to  the  cloth,  or  the  carnage  is  set  high  enough  to 
escape  this;  a  difference  in  the  pressure,  or  heat 
or  dry  steaming  when  pressed — all  have  an  im- 
portant part  in  regard  to  shades.  But  there 
should  be  no  difference  in  the  least,  if  the  goods 
are  made  and  finished  exactly  alike. 


94 


CHAPTER  X. 


SOME  PRACTICAL  RECIPES  AND  TWO 
FORMULAS. 

TO  FIND  THE  CONTENTS  OF  A  TANK — To  FIGURE  SPEED — 
TO  REMOVE  BUR-DYE  CROCK — To  TEST  WOOLEN 
GOODS. 

To  find  the  contents  of  a  tank.— To  find  the  con- 
tents of  soap,  bur-dye  or  water  tanks:  Multiply 
the  diameter  by  the  diameter  in  inches,  then  by 
the  depth ;  then  multiply  by  .0034 ;  the  answer 
will  be  the  number  of  gallons  in  the  tank. 

Example. — Tank  50  inches  in  diameter  and 
40  inches  deep ;  50X50  =  2 500  X  40  =  100,000 
X  .0034  ==  340  gallons. 

Good  specking  ink  can  be  made  from  the 
following: 

4  oz.  soluble  blue, 
1  oz.  extract  fustic, 
oz.  oxalic  acid, 
oz.  chrome, 
1  gallon  water. 
Dissolve  fustic  ;  add  the  acid,  blue,  and  chrome  ; 
boil  until  thoroughly  dissolved  ;  stand  24  hours 
before  using. 

To  figure  speed.— 1.  Given  speed  of  shaft,  size 

95 


of  driving  pulley  and  size  of  driven  pulley,  to 
find  speed  of  machine : 

Example. — Speed  of  shaft,  80  revolutions 
per  minute;  size  of  driving  pulley,  10  inches; 
size  of  driven  pulley,  8  inches;  80  X  10=  800 
-r-  8  =  100,  or  speed  of  machine. 

2.  Given  speed  of  machine  and  size  of  driven 
pulley,  and  speed  of  shafting,  to  find  required  size 
of  driving  pulley : 

Example. — Speed  of  shaft,  100  revolutions; 
speed  of  machine,  175  ;  driven  pulley,  12  inches; 
175  X  12  =  2100  -r-  100  =  21  inches,  or  size  of 
driving  pulley. 

3.  Given  speed  of  machine,  size  of  driving 
pulley  and  driven  pulley,  to  find  speed  of 
shafting : 

Example.  —  Speed  of  machine,  200 ;  of 
driving  pulley,  20  inches,  and  driven  pulley, 
8  inches;  200  X  8  =  1600  -7-  20  =  80,  or  speed 
of  shafting. 

To  find  circumference  of  pulleys,  etc. :  Mul- 
tiply the  diameter  by  3. 141 592. 

Example. — A  pulley  is  12  inches  in  diame- 
ter; what  is  the  circumference?  12  X  3. 141 59* 

=  37-699I+- 

To  remove  bur-dye  crock— Sulphuric  acid  re 
duced  so  it  is  just  a  trifle  sour,  will  remove  bur- 
dye.    If  it  takes  out  too  much  color,  rub  lightly 
with  ammonia. 


96 


GESSNER'S  NEW  PATEI 


DAVID  BE55YER,  Sale  Agent, 

Office  :  40  Leicester  Street,  Works  :  Webster  Square, 

WORCE!  TER,  MASS. 


To  test  woolen  goods— Take  caustic  potash, 
put  in  a  small  piece  of  goods,  and  let  boil  five  or 
ten  minutes ;  rinse  out  well  with  cold  water.  The 
potash  will  eat  the  wool,  and  leave  the  cotton, 
wool  being  an  animal  substance. 


THE  END. 


97 


Curtis  &  Marble, 

MANUFACTURERS  OF 

Cloth  Finishing  &  Wool  Burring  Machinery 

INCLUDING 

SHEARING  MACHINES 

For  Wool,  Worsted  and  Cotton  Coods,  Plushes,  Velvets, 
Carpets,  Smyrna  Rugs,  etc. 

SINGEING, 

GIGGING, 

NAPPING, 

BRUSHING 

MACHINES. 

Cloth  Winders  and  Measurers,  Shear  Grinders,  Patent 
Reversible  Flock  Cutters,  etc. 


SOLE  MANUFACTURERS  OF 

Gessner's  Patent  Rotary  Cloth  Press. 

Improved  "  Gaddard  "  Burring  Pickers. 

Steel  Ring  Burring  Machines  and  Feed  Rolls  for  Wool  Cards. 

Spur-Tooth  Pickers,  Shake  Willows,  etc. 
Particular  attention  paid  to  Repairing  and  Grinding  Shear 
Blades  and  Bur  Cylinders. 


SEND  FOR  ILLUSTRATED  CATALOGUE. 

WEBSTER  SQUARE,  WORCESTER,  MASS. 

(SEE  OPPOSITE  PAGE.) 

99 


NEW  UNIVERSAL  FULLING  MILL 


Designed  and  constructed  on  the  latest  and  most  approved  plans.  Adapted  to  Felting 
and  Flocking  all  kinds  of  Woolen  Goods.  Contains  points  of  special  merit  found  in  no  I 
other.   Has  only  to  be  seen  to  be  appreciated.  Before  buying  examine  ours    Send  for  I 
Circulars,  Prices,  etc.,  to  the  Sole  Manufacturers, 

A.  HOPKINS  &,  CO., 

PASCOAG,  R.  I. 

Providence  Office,  48  Exchange  Place. 


IOO 


HOPKIUS'  IMPROVED  CLOTH  WASHER. 


Patented  March  17,  1874.    Improved  1885. 
HAS  NO  EQUAL  FOR  THOROUGH  AND  RAPID  WASHING. 


A.  HOPKINS  &  CO.,      ....  PASCOAG.R.I. 

PROVIDENCE  OFFICE,  48  Exchange  Pface 

IOI 


THE  ILLUSTRATION  REPRESENTS 

J.  E.  WINDLE'S 

New  and  Improved 

•>  Cloth  Folding  and  Rolling  Machine  * 

OF  1886. 


TT7  HIS  machine  has  all  the  requirements  necessary  for  doubling  and  rolling  all  kinds  and 
*  1 15    classes  of  both  Cotton  and  Woolen  Goods  in  a  most  satisfactory  and  thorough  manner. 

It  will  fold  the  goods  more  evenly  than  any  other  machine,  and  requires  very  little 
attention  in  operating.  We  guarantee  perfect  satisfaction  in  each  and  every  case,  and  will 
place  it  upon  its  merits  against  any  and  all  others. 

For  further  information  address  the  Manufacturer, 

J.  E.  WINDLE,  Worcester,  Mass. 

102 


The  Heathcote 
Improved  Tentering  >  Drying 
Machine. 

These  machines  have  been  greatly  improved  within 
the  last  six  months,  and  will  recommend  themselves  to  manu- 
facturers who  intend  furnishing  their  mills  with  improved 
machinery  for  Tentering  and  Drying  Purposes.  They  have 
been  arranged  so  as  to  take  up  much  less  room  in  height 
than  formerly,  and  have  an  entire  new  heating  apparatus, 
by  which  the  drying  is  largely  increased,  and  will  guarantee 
perfect  satisfaction  in  every  particular.  We  build  various 
sizes,  and  they  are  adapted  to  all  kinds  of  woolen  or  worsted 
goods.  It  takes  less  room,  less  power  and  steam  than  any 
other  machine  in  the  market. 

\      JOHN  HEATHCOTE, 

SOLE  MANUFACTURER, 

PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 

Send  for  Circular. 

103 


KINYON'S  FULLING  MILL, 

With  Rubber-coated  Rolls. 


Fulls  rapidly,  and  will  not  damage  the  goods. 


Manufactured  by 

KIIMYOIM  BROS., 

RARITAN,  N.  J. 

Central  R.  R.  Division  of  Philadelphia  and  Reading  R.  R. 

105 


JAMES  FOLEY  &  CO., 

Manufacturers  and  Dealers  in 

Textile  Soaps, 

Wool-Scours, 

Chemicals,  etc. 

For  the  Uses  of  Manufacturers  of 

Woolen,  Worsted,  Silk  and 
Cotton  Goods, 

127  MILK  STREET,  BOSTON,  MASS. 

An  experience  of  over  twenty  years  with  mill  soaps  in  the 
mills  of  New  England,  is  a  sufficient  guarantee  of  our 
ability  to  answer  any  questions  that  may  arise 
on  the  use  of  soaps  under  varying  condi- 
tions.  Address  as  above. 

1 06 


109 


I  10 


This  is  the  only 
Shearing 
Machine 
with 
Self-Operating 
List  Savers 
made. 


PARKS  &  W00LS0N  MACHINE  CO., 

SPRINGFIELD,  VERMONT, 

MANUFACTURERS  OF 

Cloth  Finishing  Machinery 

OF  EVERY  DESCRIPTION. 


MEASURING 

AND 

Inspecting  Machine. 


Measuring  Machine  that  cannot  measure  wrong  and 
needs  no  care  or  adjustment, 

Doubling  and  Rolling-up 
Machine 

For  Botli  Cotton  and  Woolen  Finishing. 

Tillinghast  Sewing  Machine  &  Supply  Co. 

PROVIDENCE,  R.L, 

Dealers  in 

Factory  Sewing  Machines,  Factory  Twines 
And  Sewing  Threads  f 

AND 

Special  Machinery  for  Cotton  &  Woolen  Mills- 

Doubling  and  Rolling-up  Machine  by  which  a  toy 
can  do  the  work  of  four  men,  and  100  per  cent, 
better  than  it  is  possible  to  do  it  by  hand. 


112 


CONNOR  BROTHERS, 

Holyoke,  Mass. 


Manufacturers  of  all  Grades  and  Colors  of 

Woolen  Shoddies 

AND 

EXTRACTS. 


Stock  Picked  and  Carded  to  Order. 


Also  Manufacturers  of  all  Grades  of 

WOOLEN  FLOCKS. 

114 


THE  BRIDESBURG 
MANUFACTURING  CO. 

OFFICE,  201  CHESTNUT  STREET,  PHILADELPHIA. 

BUILDERS  OF 

Cotton, Woolen  and  Worsted  Machinery, 

CARDING,  SPINNING,  WEAVING, 

AND  ALL  OTHER  MACHINERY  USED  IN  COTTON, 
|         WOOLEN  AND  WORSTED  MILLS. 

We  respectfully  invite  attention  to  the  recent  improvements  made  by  us 
upon  all  our  Machinery,  and  especially  to  our 

POWER  SAVING  RING  SPINNING, 

For  Cotton  and  Worsted,  the  bobbins  driven  positively,  spindles  will 
run  at  any  required  velocity. 

SELF-ACTING  MULES  FOR  WOOL, 

Bobbin  Winders  or  Quillers,  with  spindles  driven  at  variable  speed, 
giving  greater  production  and  saving  waste. 

LOOMS 

For  Cotton,  Jean  and  Worsted  Goods,  running  two  hundred  picks  per 
minute,  and  our  recently  improved  and  superior 

FULL  LIFT  AND  FULL  DROP  BOX  LOOMS, 

For  Ginghams,  Checks,  as  well  as  Broad  Looms  for  Shawls,  etc. 


STOCKTON  BATES,  President.         CHAS.  W.  POTTS,  Treasurer. 
JOHN  ROMMEL,  Jr.,  Vice-Pres.       WILLIAM  D.  SHUBERT,  Secretary. 


115 


Practice  in  Wool  Carding. 

I —Carding  Fine  Wools. 

2. — Difficulties  in  the  Card  Room,  and  how  to 
Overcome  Them. 

By  JOSEPH  BROWN,  Master  Carder. 

A  complete,  concise  and  helpful  handbook  for  the  card 
room,  by  a  carder  of  more  than  forty  years'  experience. 

More  than  2,000  copies  of  this  little  book  have  been 
sold  since  its  recent  announcement. 

Price,  50  cents ;  five  copies  for  $2.00.  Sent  post  free 
upon  remittance  to 

THE  TEXTILE  RE  CD  RE, 

425  Walnut  Street,  Philadelphia. 


116 


$3.00  A  YEAR. 


THE  TEXTILE 
RECORD 

CONTAINS  MORE  ORIGINAL,  PRACTICAL 
INFORMATION  FOR  ACTUAL  WORKERS  IN 
TEXTILES,  THAN  ANY  OTHER  JOURNAL  IN 
THE  WORLD. 


THE    TEXTILE    RECORD    IS    WRITTEN  FOR 
PRACTICAL  MEN  BY  PRACTICAL  MEN. 
SAMPLE  COPIES  UPON  APPLICATION  TO 

THE  TEXTILE  RECORD, 
425  Walnut  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

117 


BROWN'S 
QUADRUPLE  GIG. 


Having  four  applications  of  the  cloth  to  the  cylinder,  with  an 
attachment  for  cleaning  the  teasels  without  taking  them  off  the 
cylinder.  The  slats  are  held  on  the  cylinder  in  a  way  that  enables 
them  to  be  placed  close  together,  increasing  the  capacity  of  the  gig. 
This  gig  is  a  favorite  with  the  finishers,  doing  more  work  than  any 
other  gig  sold  for  the  same  money,  and  takes  up  but  little  room, 
which  is  desirable  in  many  mills. 

PARKS  a  W00LS0N  MACHINE  CO., 

SPRINGFIELD,  VERMONT. 

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Date  Due 


LIBRARY  BUREAU  FORM  1137.3 


GETTY  CENTER  LIBRARY 


